A Pokémon Fairy Tail
by FairyTailFanGirlie
Summary: Lucy has just moved to the small town of Littleroot in the Hoenn Region, where she meets siblings Natsu and Wendy, and begin their journey, where they make new friends - Pokémon and human alike. But someone is after Lucy. Who are they, and can they be stopped in time to save her? A humor/friendship/adventure/romance story lightly based off of Alpha Sapphire gameplay.
1. The Grand Move

Hey there! So, this is a little something I'm trying out. I've noticed a lot of these types of things on this wonderful site, so I decided to try my hand at it. I was playing Pokémon one day after reading some Fairy Tail fanfiction if you're wondering where this little idea came from…

This is _based_ off the game Alpha Sapphire, but not necessarily the game, okay?

Please review, favorite or something! Because if no one likes, I'm just gonna delete it, kay? I don't want to waste anybody's time with a bunch of crap… wait, that's what I'm doing right now, right? Sorry!

On with the story!

…Oopsie… forgot somethin'!

This is in Lucy's POV – she's seventeen years old and moving to Hoenn and the town of Littleroot with her dad from the Johto region.

That's really all you absolutely need to know, as the rest will be revealed later! Hope you enjoy!

_Chapter 1: The Grand Move_

"You better be on your best behavior when we meet the professor, Lucy. He is highly respected here in Hoenn," my father said as we arrived at the little gate for the town of Littleroot – my newest home. I nodded in response as I inwardly sighed.

Thankfully, this was the last move we were making. _Ahem_. The last move _I_ am making. I'm going on an internship for Professor Birch – the Hoenn region Pokémon professor.

I hope he's as nice as Professor Elm…

Father stopped the car in front of our new home, the moving truck quickly following.

Thankfully, the mover's Pokémon was doing all the work, so we didn't have to. But that's what happens when you ask for the best moving services available, I guess.

They were done in a few hours, with me and the movers helping while my father took phone calls.

I actually sighed that time. Just like him to make _me_ do all the work. Thankfully the Machoke were helping move the furniture and appliances and such, or else it would've taken forever.

Once they all left, I went to my room to unpack my belongings, when I heard my father calling me.

"Lucy! Come say hello to our new neighbors!" he said in his fake-happy voice. I knew it was fake, because he was never happy.

"Coming, sir!" I called down the stairs as I made my way down. There in the living room was the professor and his family.

_Why do two of them have the most _unnatural_ hair color? _I asked myself, confused.

"Why can't the two of you call me 'sir', huh?" the professor asked the kids in front of him. They weren't really kids though. The oldest looked like he was at _least_ my age, while the other maybe a few years younger.

The pink haired one – yes _pink_ – shrugged. The blue haired one looked down at her feet and blushed.

"Lucy, this is the professor and his family," my father said to me.

"Um… hi," I said, unsure of what it was my father wanted me to say.

"Ah, Lucy! Professor Elm told me many good things about you!" he said, reaching out to shake my hand.

I hesitantly took it and his grip was firm but warm as he smiled happily at me.

I instantly relaxed. He _is_ as nice as Professor Elm!

"I'm glad! He was pretty cool, letting me take care of some of his Pokémon every now and then."

"He let you take care of his Pokémon?" the blue-haired girl asked.

I nodded to her. Not that it was really anything special. He let everyone do it because the Pokémon needed to be 'socialized', as he put it.

"That's cool…" the girl said.

"Where are my manners!" The professor almost yelled, "This is my wife and these are my two kids, Natsu and Wendy."

"Hi," I said again, this time with a small wave.

"'Sup?"

"…Hi…"

I think you can guess who said which.

I was going to say something when I heard a noise in my bedroom.

_The egg!_

"U-um… would you excuse me for just a sec?" I asked hurriedly.

My father looked like he was going to say no, but before he could, Professor Birch said, "Of course, take your time."

I said my thanks and almost ran to my room. I found the egg had partially cracked.

_It's hatching!_

The memory of receiving it flashed through my mind. Oh, how I missed Professor Elm and my friends…

_Flashback – Two weeks ago_

"Promise me you'll call everyday, okay?" said my best friend Levy as she almost choked me with her bear hug.

"Of course! You know I can't go more than a few days without talking to you!" I told her as I squeezed her just as hard, if not harder.

Other than Professor Elm, Levy was my only true friend in Johto – you know, the one you share every secret with, no matter how dark? I was sad to leave, we had yet to begin our internship, which meant that our parents still had control over where we lived. But even if I _had_ stayed, I wouldn't have been with Levy. Her parents were moving to Kanto so she could learn under the famous Professor Oak.

Anyways, Levy and I said our goodbyes, and she left for Kanto the following day.

When it was my turn to leave, Professor Elm called me to his lab.

"Professor? Are you in here?" I asked as I opened the door.

"Yes, I'm in the back. Come here would you? I have something for you."

Once I got to the back, I saw him typing away at his screen with a man standing behind him who was making his way out.

After he left, I asked Elm who he was, to which his reply was, "That's not important. What I called you here for, however, is. I'd like you to take this egg. Who _knows_ what could hatch from it, but I heard somewhere that if you look after a Pokémon egg and travel with it, it'll hatch faster than most. I also believe it will be a good farewell gift. What do you think?" he said as he handed me the egg.

I held it like it was the most valuable jewel I had ever laid eyes on, and would shatter if I so much as touched it.

"Are… are you sure, Professor?"

"Yes. All I ask is you call me to let me know what hatches from the egg once it _does_ hatch. Sound like a deal?"

_End flashback_

_Deal._

I continued to watch as the egg shook a little bit, and a piece of shell cracked off. I was staring in awe and didn't hear anyone come up the stairs.

Hell, I didn't even hear them until they said, "Whoa, cool, an egg!"

"EEEK!" I shrieked. The pink-haired one – Natsu – scared me half to death!

"Hehe… didn't mean to scare you Luigi-"

"It's Lucy!"

"Lucy, sorry. Do you know what's in it?"

"No, which is why I've been watching it so closely! So, move out of the way, it's my egg!"

"Jeez, what happened to the girl from downstairs?"

I didn't say anything. I just swallowed. Hard.

At least he was smart enough to stay silent when I didn't respond to him.

The egg continued to crack and a few more pieces of shell popped off when Wendy came to join us.

"Natsu, what's taking you so-"

She gasped when she saw the egg. Then said, "Oh… my…"

Wendy also asked if I knew what it was. I gave her the same answer. She didn't say anything after that and just watched the egg.

A few more minutes went by when Natsu said, "I bet it's a dragon-type."

"And why would it be a dragon type?" I asked.

"Cause. Then, I'd be able to fight him!" He said with enthusiasm.

I was beyond confused. It was giving me a headache, actually.

Wendy whispered to me after she saw my face, "Natsu wants to be a dragon master. He already has a Trapinch – which he knows eventually evolves into Flygon. He got his first badge with _just_ Trapinch. And he's the weakest on Natsu's team."

"Well, what else does he have?" I asked while Natsu continued to think of what could possibly be hidden in the egg.

"He has the one he got from dad, which is a Mudkip. And he also has a Torkoal. But that's really it. I have Treeko and a Feebas. Do you have any Pokémon?"

"No. This is going to be my first one. See why I'm so excited?"

"Uh-huh!"

Wendy and I continued to watch while Natsu continued to fantasize. Finally, after what felt like forever, it hatched.

"What is it?!" Natsu asked excitedly.

"Its…" Wendy said, tilting her head.

"_Swablu?"_ the blue, cottony Pokémon announced.

So, what did you think? Another chapter is gonna be posted a few hours after this one, so as not to leave you hangin', and to see if you _actually _like it…

Please review! I like hearing from people, but don't be destructive and mean about it, you know? But don't lie, either. If it sucks, tell me. Then I delete. So, choose your words wisely, friends!


	2. Wait, what?

_Previously on Pokémon Fairy Tail_

"_What is it?!" Natsu asked excitedly._

"_Its…" Wendy said, tilting her head._

"_Swablu?" the blue cottony Pokémon announced._

_Chapter 2: Wait, what?_

"Huh. Guess I was actually pretty close," Natsu said.

"What do you mean, Natsu?" Wendy asked, confused. I knew what he was talking about. Guess Wendy hadn't exactly read up on the Pokémonof this region.

"Swablu eventually evolves into Altaria, a decent dragon type Pokémon."

"Ooohhh…" she said, finally getting it. I shook my head with a smile on my face.

"You've gotta help me! My dad doesn't know I had a Pokémon egg! I don't have any pokéballs!"

"Here, I have a spare few," Wendy said as she handed me one.

"Thank you, Wendy," I said as I tapped the ball to the Swablu's body, bringing it into the pokéball in a red light. It jiggled around a bit, but I saw the flash that told me I had caught it.

I took a deep breath and almost screamed when Natsu put his hand on my mouth. I looked at him confused when he said, "You didn't want your dad to know, right? Don't you think screaming that you caught your first Pokémonis going to tell him something?"

I tried to say, "Right, thanks," but it came out more like, "Mighft, ganfks," since his hand was still covering my mouth.

"Sorry," he said as he pulled his hand away.

After I cleared my throat and my head – don't ask me why it needed clearing, because I have _no stinking clue_ – I said, "Could you guys help me with her? I don't think Swablu's quite strong enough to go out and train in the wild yet."

"Of course, Lucy-san!" Wendy said, excited.

Why she added –san, I had no idea, but whatever.

"Yeah, sure, why not?" said Natsu.

I was about to thank them again when Professor Birch called us to come downstairs. We quickly cleaned up the mess the egg had made and went down the steps to see the Birch family was ready to leave.

"You were gone for quite some time, young lady." My father said in my direction.

"Sorry. I lost track of time. It won't happen again." Even though he gave me the look of, '_It better not_', he seemed satisfied.

"Well, we'd best be headed off. I have tons of work to do at the lab," the professor told us, "But do stop by for dinner, alright? My wife is cooking, and she makes the best food in town."

He got a blush out of her along with an elbow to the gut as they walked out of our house.

"Oh, Lucy I almost forgot. Come with me a sec to my lab, would you? I've got a few questions for you before you start tomorrow."

"Um, yeah, sure, Professor. I'll be right there."

He nodded and the family left. I thought my father was going to yell at me. Turns out, he just said, "Don't leave him waiting."

Apparently image is more important to him than reprimanding me for skipping out on our _honored guest_.

I nodded and walked out the door, running for the building that was the professor's lab. Once I got there, I found he was just inside, sitting at his desk.

"Come on in, Lucy. No need to be shy."

"O-okay."

"Now, Lucy. I should probably tell you that Professor Elm told me more than just how good of a person you are."

I blinked a few times at him.

_He knew?_

His shoulders drooped as he said, "I'm sorry about your mother. And your current situation, having to move away from everything you once knew. But maybe, it happened so you could have a fresh start. It looks like you're already getting along with Natsu and Wendy."

I nodded. I did like them. They were nice, and they had promised not to tell my father about my newest friend, Swablu.

"Do you have your own Pokémon?"

I was about to automatically shake my head, having said _no_ so many times, but of course, I had Swablu now. So, I nodded.

"I see. Would you mind showing me how you are at battling?"

"Y-you see, thing is… I _just_ got her. That thing that I excused myself for? That was my newest Pokémon hatching. She was a gift from Professor Elm."

"I see. That would explain why even Wendy got distracted from bringing you both back down the stairs. She's always been fascinated with that sort of thing. Anyways, maybe you could train your Pokémon up a bit, then come and see me again. Sound good?"

"Of course."

"Good. Now, go and train. I don't have all day, you know. I'm a busy professor," he said almost sarcastically.

I nodded again and got up and left the lab to find Wendy outside the doorway.

"Hi Wendy."

"Hi Lucy-san! Are you ready to train?" she said happily.

"Uh-huh. Let's do this! But, um… where?"

"Oh, over here. You can't see it from your house, so you should be safe," she said, pointing to a park on the other side of town.

"Pretty," I said appreciatively.

Wendy nodded.

She brought out her Treeko, and I brought out Swablu, both giving their distinctive battle cries.

"Oh! Lucy, I almost forgot!" Wendy said as she ran over to me.

"What is it?" I asked after she handed the item to me. It was strange looking. Some case looking thingy. Don't judge, I just rode in a car with my father for almost eighteen hours.

"That's a Pokédex. See? Slide up the top part to turn it on."

I did as I was told, and the device powered on.

Huh. How does this thing wor-

An automated female voice cut off my thoughts.

"_Swablu, the Cotton Bird Pokémon_. _Swablu loves to make things clean. If it spots something dirty, it will wipe and polish it with its cottony wings. If its wings become dirty, this Pokémon finds a stream to shower itself."_

Oh. So _that's_ how it works…

I pointed it at Wendy's Treeko, and it came to life again.

"_Treeko, the Wood Gecko Pokémon. Treeko is cool, calm, and collected - it never panics under any situation. If a bigger foe were to glare at this Pokémon, it would glare right back without conceding an inch of ground."_

Awesome-sauce.

What did I say about judging me?

"Learning about your opponent, huh?"

I looked to see Natsu had joined us. He had a cute looking water type with him. I raised my eyebrow and pointed the Pokédex at it.

"_Mudkip, the Mud Fish Pokémon. In water, Mudkip breathes using the gills on its cheeks. If it is faced with a tight situation in battle, this Pokémon will unleash its amazing power - it can crush rocks bigger than itself."_

I was having so much fun! Does that make me a nerd? I sure hope not. I just like to know stuff and read books and play online games with Levy… aw, man… I _am _a nerd… maybe not full-blown nerd, but still.

I could feel the weight from our move from Johto starting to press down on me, but I focused back to the soon-to-be battle.

Checking Swablu's Pokédex entry again, I saw her list of moves. Not the most powerful, but should be able to take down Wendy's grass type without _too_ much difficulty.

With this, Natsu decided to be the 'referee'. No one was allowed to switch their Pokémon – which didn't matter to me since I only had one. But that was really it. Oh, and no Pokémon can leave the park until the battle is over. Sounded easy enough.

Natsu looked at the both of us, then yelled, "Begin!"

"Treeko, use Pound!"

"Swablu, use Sing!"

As Treeko made its way close for an up-close attack, Swablu sang her beautiful lullaby. Thankfully, it didn't have any effect on the people battling – some weird science thing or something, thanks to all the Jigglypuff in Johto and Kanto – but it put the Treeko to sleep easily.

"Great! Now, use Peck, Swablu!"

_Swa!_ She cried out as she pecked the grass type. After two more times, the pecks woke up the Treeko, but it was too late. Swablu landed the last blow, sending Treeko toward Wendy, fainted.

Wendy's eyes went wide, and so did Natsu's. They both stared at me with said eyes.

"What? Just because I've never had a Pokémon doesn't mean I don't know how to battle."

Wendy sighed, drawing her Treeko back into the safety of its pokéball.

"I gotta go heal this little guy up at dad's lab. I don't think you need to train with us at all, Lucy-san. You and Swablu make a good team!" She said happily as she ran off towards the lab.

"She's right, you know. It's like Swablu recognizes you know what you're doing," Natsu said, looking at the Pokémon that was now sitting on top of my head. As long as she doesn't poop on me, I'm good. Do Pokémon even poop? I've always wondered about that… I've never seen it, but that doesn't necessarily mean it doesn't happen. Like with Pokémon eggs. One second they're not there, the next, they are.

Strange, don't you think?

I almost giggled out loud. Of course I'm not _that_ stupid. Nobody is. How in the world they even pulled that off in school is beyond me. _'Oh, they just show up out of nowhere! Do you think maybe they got delivered or something?'_

Puh-lease. Everyone knew Pokémon mated.

"What's with the smile, weirdo?"

I blinked a few times to clear my head. What did he say?

"Huh?"

"You had this creepy smile on your face, like you were laughing at a joke made in your head or something."

"Close enough."

"Weirdo."

I rolled my eyes as I said, "Idiot."

We laughed and shoved each other as we got to the Pokémon lab. I withdrew Swablu back into her pokéball before I forgot about her and we went inside the lab.

Wendy was there with a rejuvenated Treeko. She smiled happily at her Pokémon as she drew it back into the pokéball.

"So, I heard you beat Wendy on your first try. And with a freshly hatched Swablu, no doubt," the professor said proudly.

My eyebrows scrunched up a bit in confusion as I looked at the man.

"Um, yeah… I did…"

"It was pretty cool, Dad. Swablu trusted her completely, like they were in sync or something," Natsu said, looking at his father with a glimmer of appreciation in his eyes.

He nodded, a solemn look in his eyes.

"I wish I could give you your next Pokémon, Lucy. But all of mine are gone now. My last one was stolen last week…"

"Oh, Professor, I'm so sorry!"

"Why are you apologizing?"

"Well, the Pokémon belonged to you, didn't it? It must have been horrible to see it was missing."

He blinked a few times, then said, "It was…"

"Don't worry about getting me a Pokémon, Professor. It just means me and Swablu can grow closer!" I said, smiling.

He looked at me then, and smiled a bit.

"I like you, Lucy. I think you'll be an excellent trainer."

I blushed at the compliment, then excused myself to go home and sleep.

Unfortunately, my father had other ideas and yelled at me, wondering what I was doing while I wasted time in my room, when I could've been with our honored guest.

I apologized – not sincerely, in case you were wondering – and excused myself to go to bed.

It was quite obvious his tirade wasn't over. So I added that Professor Birch wanted to see me bright and early tomorrow morning. At least he bought it and let me go upstairs.

I got ready for bed, wondering what my journey would bring me.

I know I didn't really leave much of a want – for lack of a better word – for you readers to continue reading, but you know… yeah… be great if you did…

Can you tell I'm a bit insecure about my writing? Cause I am…

And I'm sorry if I made Lucy seem really dumb and blonde! She's not, I promise, it's just her being emotional and tired after moving far, far away from everything she knows! She goes back to being smart and funny and sarcastic in the next few chapters, I swear!

I also have a question for my dear readers: would you like the Pokémon to have nicknames? Like, as in, Lucy's, Natsu's, Wendy's, and any other characters I _happen_ to mention in the future? Cause if you want nicknames, I'm gonna need some help thinking of them. And I'm not talking crappy names like calling Swablu, Fluffy. I mean really could you see that?

"Use Draco Meteor… Fluffy…!"

Lemme know what you think, kay? Leave a wonderful review please!


	3. The Beginning and a New Friend!

_It was quite obvious his tirade wasn't over. So I added that Professor Birch wanted to see me bright and early tomorrow morning. At least he bought it and let me go upstairs. _

_I got ready for bed, wondering what my journey would bring me._

_Chapter 3: The Beginning and a New Friend!_

If your expectation for my morning involved me waking up, stretching, taking a shower, getting dressed – the norm – then you'd be wrong. My morning was more like this:

Somebody was poking me. On my nose. It couldn't be my Pokémon, could it? She wasn't strong enough to come out of her pokéball on her own. I cracked an eye open, but I wasn't prepared for what I saw.

"Good googlie mooglie, Natsu! What in the world are you doing in my room?!"

I scared him, and he almost landed on his butt.

Until he realized what I said, at least…

"Googlie… mooglie?" he said trying to contain his laughter.

"Shut up! And what are you doing in my room?" I said, calmer than I was before.

"Dad said that he wanted to talk to you before you left. That, and he wanted me and Wendy to go with you."

"Really?"

"Yeah. So get up lazy bones. We'll be waiting for you outside."

With this, he went to my window and jumped out. Yeah, he _jumped_ out my window. He does know I'm on the second floor, right?

I ran to the window to find him climbing down the tree nearest the house – it was only like three feet away, but still!

I let out the breath I didn't know I was holding and got ready.

When I went downstairs, shoulder bag in hand, I found my father drinking a cup of coffee and talking on his phone to some employee of his.

"No, that is _not_ what we discussed! I said to-"

I didn't hear anymore after I closed the front door. Going over to my neighbor's house, I was about to open their front gate when my phone rang.

My eyes widened and I could feel a big smile forming on my face as I noticed the caller-id.

"Levy!" I said as I answered the phone.

"Lu-chan! Oh, it is _so_ good to hear your voice! How've you been?"

"Oh, you know, the same. Except for one thing."

"What's that?"

"The egg hatched!"

"It did?! Well, don't leave me hanging, what was it?"

"She's an adorable Swablu!"

"Swablu? What's a Swablu?"

"Never mind that, you can look it up later."

I giggled. I hadn't noticed that Natsu and Wendy were waiting for me near the entrance to the town.

"Oh, I'm sorry Levy-chan, I've gotta go. Professor Birch and his kids are waiting on me."

"Wait, Professor Birch has kids?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Well, what do they look like? Are they your age? Are any of them boys?"

"Levy-chan…"

"Sorry! You can give me more details later! I've gotta go too! It's my weekly meeting with Professor Oak. He's pretty cool. You'd like him. Oh! I forgot to tell you I got a Bulbasaur from him! That was my first Pokémon! I also have Sandshrew and Ponyta and Clefairy! Oh! And Bulbasaur evolved into Ivysaur!"

"Levy-chan, did you start your journey as soon as you got there or something? You got to the Kanto region, what, a week and a half ago?"

"Um, yeah, I did. I can't wait to see what other kinds of Pokémon you get on _your_ journey, Lu-chan! Do your best to keep in touch okay?"

"I will! Bye!"

"Bye!"

I closed the flip phone and went to where the others were waiting on me.

"Sorry about that!" I said as I got in front of them.

"No worries," Professor Birch said, "It looked like you hadn't talked to your friend in a while."

I nodded. If you called six days a while, yeah, it was. But I don't think that's what he meant…

"Anyways, I wanted to give you this," he said as he handed me a few unused pokéballs and a trainer case – you know, that thing you keep your money and badges in? Yeah, that thing.

"Thanks, Professor!"

"If you don't mind my asking, who was it you were speaking with?"

"My friend, Levy. She's training under Professor Oak. As it turns out, he had her start her journey last week after she arrived."

"Hm. Well, I guess you have some catch up to do, then."

"Um… what?"

"You see; this internship is sort of like a competition between us professors. It goes like this: if an intern either completes the Pokédex _or_ becomes the region's Champion, that Professor gets – not only bragging rights, but also a grant so we can do more research. Money is hard to come buy nowadays, you know."

"Oh, okay. But what about Natsu and Wendy? They've both already started their journey-"

"That's the thing. We can't use or own kids or bloodline in the competition. A lame rule if I've ever heard one."

Natsu nodded his agreement.

"So, here's what we're going to do," the professor said, "I'm sending Natsu and Wendy with you on your journey. Just as backup, really. I hear there are some evil groups out there – Team Aqua and Team Magma. So, I figured that for everyone's safety, it'd be best that you travel in a group."

"Um, okay."

No pressure or anything. Just gotta complete the Hoenn Pokédex or… become the Hoenn Champion. And then there were some evildoers running around wrecking havoc in Hoenn. Yay.

I could feel my muscles tensing from the sudden weight on my shoulders – as if there was an actual weight there.

"But, Dad, what about Natsu? He's already gotten Roxanne's badge. Won't we just hold him back?" asked Wendy.

He's already gotten a gym badge?

"Its alright, Wendy. I'm just gonna tag along. I can train on the way, too," Natsu told her.

"But what about the Dewford gym badge?"

"I already told you, Wen. I need to train for it. So, this is actually good for me."

After a few more minutes of going back and forth, Wendy dropped the subject. It was apparent Natsu wasn't going to budge.

Once that was settled, Professor Birch said his goodbyes and farewells as the three of us left Littleroot Town.

"So, our first stop is Oldale Town. They've got a Pokémon Center and everything," Natsu said as we got out of the professor's earshot.

Natsu and Wendy started talking about something – don't ask me what, because I don't have a clue. I just picked up _challenge_ and _sneaking_.

Yeah, weird, I know.

I _was_ going to start listening to their conversation when I heard a Pokémon's cry. As in, one that could be hurt.

I stopped walking and listened, waiting for the cry again so I could figure out where it was coming from.

Wendy was the first to notice me.

"What's wrong, Lucy-san?"

"I don't know… I thought I heard-"

There it was again. I went running in the direction I heard the cry, Natsu and Wendy yelling at me to wait for them.

I was about to go running into the clearing when I saw something that made my gut twist in disgust and horror.

A man was beating the crap out of a small dark Pokémon.

My eyes widened when I saw the Pokémon was only cowering and not fighting back.

"Hey!"

The man looked my direction. Was I the one that yelled…?

"What do you think you're doing?!"

Nope… Natsu was the one who yelled at the man.

"What are you yappin' about, boy?"

Natsu moved from behind the bushes and went to the Pokémon's side. He put himself in front of the Pokémon and continued with what he was saying.

"What did this Pokémon ever do to you, huh? I bet if it was a Mightyena you wouldn't be treating 'em this way!"

"So what? It's mine, I can treat it any way I want."

The breath was sucked out of me. Before I could even _think_ about anything else, Natsu punched the man. Square on the temple.

The man crumpled to the ground, seemingly knocked out.

"Natsu!" Wendy called out as she ran to him and the Pokémon. She reached into her bag and pulled out a spray bottle, what I assumed was a Potion.

She sprayed the – now that I know what Pokémon it is – Poochyena's wounds, then went to Natsu and put some ointment on his knuckles.

"Why would you do something so reckless, Natsu?" she asked in a hushed tone.

He didn't answer her. Instead, he went to the smaller Pokémon's side.

The Poochyena cowered away from Natsu, but not as much as before. The two just stared at each other for a while.

I didn't know what was going to happen, but I wasn't expecting what did.

Another Pokémon came out of its ball from the man's belt and grabbed a different ball from said unconscious man's belt with one of its claws, then handed it to Natsu.

The Poochyena's eyes widened a bit, then looked at the other Pokémon. I now know that this Pokémon was a Zangoose.

The Zangoose nodded it head, then touched _its_ pokéball and went inside the ball.

The Poochyena looked back to Natsu, then at the ball in his hands. The Pokémon barked and whined at Natsu, who still looked dumbfounded.

I sighed. I knew what the Pokémon wanted, even if it hadn't happened to my mother.

"Natsu…" I whispered. I didn't think he could hear me, but I guess he did because he looked my way.

I smiled at him and looked between him and Poochyena, trying to tell him with my eyes what the Pokémon wanted.

Maybe he understood, maybe he didn't and just figured it out on his own – but he finally released the Pokémon from that ball and pulled out one of his own.

The Poochyena seemed to be very happy about this, and put its own nose against the ball's center.

Once it was inside, the ball shook once, then gleamed, indicating the Pokémon had indeed been captured.

We got away as fast as we could, not stopping until we reached Oldale Town. Heading straight for the Pokémon Center, we rushed inside.

Breathing heavily, we sat down at one of the tables.

"Hey Natsu?" I asked once we caught our breath.

"Yeah?"

"Don't you want to be a Dragon Master?"

"Yeah? What's your point?"

"Well… don't you need _only_ Dragon types for that?"

He shook his head. "You've got to start somewhere. And I wasn't about to leave Poochyena with an owner like that."

I nodded, understanding… I think I did, at least.

"So, where to next?" I asked them.

"Well… there's always Petalburg City. There's a gym there, but they keep their doors shut most of the time, only allowing stronger trainers in. But Rustboro will let anybody in."

"Sounds like a plan, then!" Wendy said, excitedly.

"We just have to get through Petalburg Woods. Shouldn't be too difficult since its one of the smallest forests in Hoenn," Natsu said.

Wendy and I nodded. After the three of us healed up our Pokémon, we began to leave Oldale Town, only to run into a couple of trainers.

"Ouch!" Wendy exclaimed as one of them stepped on her toes.

"Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry!" the girl said as she looked at Wendy, "Are you okay?"

"I-I think so… it doesn't hurt so bad now that I've had a few moments to adjust…"

"Watch where you're going, will ya'?" Natsu said to the pair.

"She apologized already, didn't she?" The other male countered.

"It wouldn't have happened in the first place if you were watching where you were going!"

"So what? She _apologized. _It's not like Juvia_ knew _she was gonna step on your friend's toes!"

"She's not just my friend, she's my little sister!"

"Oh, so you're traveling with your little sister, huh? I wonder who has to babysit who?"

"What did you just say?"

This went on as the rest of us sweat dropped.

"My name's Wendy. I guess your name is Juvia?" the little blue-haired girl asked the older.

"Yes. My name is Juvia. Nice to meet you, Wendy."

"I'm Lucy, it's a pleasure to meet you, Juvia," I said, smiling.

"Nice to meet you too, Lucy."

"So… who's your friend?" I asked her.

"Oh, that's my boyfriend, Gray-sama."

My eyebrow quirked at the added _–sama._

"Oi, oi, don't go telling everyone we're dating! Especially strangers!" Gray told Juvia.

"But we are dating… right, Gray-sama?" Juvia's eyes started to water.

Gray's eyes widened as he ignored the last thing Natsu said – something incoherent, that's for sure – and went to Juvia's side.

"Of course we're dating. I just don't want total strangers knowing about our love life, okay?"

Juvia nodded, and then hugged Gray. He hugged her right back, like a porcelain doll that would break if he held on too tightly.

Wendy and I looked at each other, then back at the duo.

The look on Gray's face, the way he handled Juvia… I guess you could say it made me jealous. Not of Juvia _exactly_. But of the connection she and Gray have. I've always wanted that kind of connection with someone. But I guess I was happy to see that _that_ kind of connection is possible. So, of course I smiled as the hug continued. I didn't notice Natsu was behind me until he said,

"We should get going."

I looked at him over my shoulder and nodded. Then an idea popped into my mind.

Once the two finished their hug, I said, "Would you guys like to join us on our journey?"

Natsu looked at me like I was crazy, while Wendy smiled happily.

"Only if you want to, of course. No pressure or anything."

"Are you sure, Lucy?" Juvia asked.

I nodded.

"Well, meat-head there doesn't look so sure," Gray said.

"What did you just call me, lover boy?"

"Don't go making up names, flame-brain!"

"You're doing it too, popsicle!"

I sighed. Juvia shook her head, and Wendy laughed nervously.

"Oh, I forgot to ask his name…?" Juvia said to Wendy and I.

I smiled at her, "That bonehead is Natsu."

"Oi! I heard that, Luce!"

"Heh, looks like you girlfriend even thinks you're a bonehead"

"She's not my girlfriend!" Natsu said as I said, "We're just friends, stripper!"

Why did I say _'stripper'_ you ask? Well, while Natsu and Gray were fighting, he just so happened to have stripped his clothes until he was only in his boxers.

"Gray-sama. Clothes."

"When did that happen?!"

Gray searched frantically for his clothes only to discover Juvia held them in her hands.

"You need to work on your habit, Gray-sama."

"Heh."

He put his clothes back on, then turned back to his fight with Natsu.

At this rate we wouldn't get to Rustboro for another month.

"For the love of – HEY!" I shouted at the boys.

They were both about to punch each other when they looked at me.

"Natsu. Stop fighting. Now. Go to Wendy and get your fist looked at."

"But-"

"Now!"

His eyes widened and then he went to Wendy like I said.

"And _you_," I said, pointing at Gray, "stop antagonizing him. He's already got a bad temper, and you are _not _helping. Get looked at by the nurse in the Pokémon Center."

He opened his mouth like he was going to say something, but I stopped him with my most deadly glare.

Gray laughed nervously, then ran for the Pokémon Center.

"That's what I thought," I said as I crossed my arms over my chest.

"Lucy… you're like a second Erza…" Juvia said, her eyes a bit wider than normal.

"…Erza?"

"Yeah. She's a friend of ours. A sweetheart most of the time – but when it comes to fighting… she's really scary. She likes steel-type Pokémon mostly, but she's got a few others to cover weaknesses."

"Really? Do you know what Pokémon she has now?"

"Yeah. She's got Aron, Magneton, and Mawile for her Steel types. And then she's got Shroomish and Carvanha for her weaknesses.

"Wow. Just from her Pokémon she sounds hard-core."

"Yeah, she does, doesn't she? I'm kind of afraid of her sometimes. The only one who can calm down her temper is her boyfriend. He makes her really giddy, which calms her _really_ fast. Erza gets all flustered and her face gets as red as her hair! Which is kind of a deep scarlet color…"

I started giggling then. I could barely imagine the woman Juvia was speaking of. I guess Juvia looked back at what she said – and realized how crazy it sounded – because she started giggling too. Wendy joined our giggling fest while she continued to work on Natsu and the three of us were all laughing pretty hard by the time Gray came back.

The boys were looking at us like we had lost our minds. It kind of felt like it, honestly. But I hadn't been this happy in a long time. I wasn't about to stop just because they were looking at us like that.

Time skip: 6 hours later

"Eeek!" I screeched out.

"_Swablu!"_

The others in our little group looked to me to see why I had screamed.

I could tell they were confused. Nobody was around – unless you included my Swablu that was now on my head – and they couldn't see anything like a Seviper slithering along or anything.

"I just caught my first Pokémon!" I yelled out happily.

Then a look of understanding crossed everyone's face.

"Well, what was it, Luce?" Natsu asked me.

"A Ralts! I've been looking for one for _forever_ and I finally found one and I caught it!"

"Forever… meaning these past couple of hours, right?" Gray asked.

"Oh, shut it, Gray!" I hissed at him.

I released my newly caught Ralts from her Pokéball and introduced her to everyone else. That reminds me!

I pulled out my Pokédex and pointed it at her. Then, the mechanic female voice said:

"_Ralts, the Feeling Pokémon. Ralts has the ability to sense the emotions of people. If its Trainer is in a cheerful mood, this Pokémon grows cheerful and joyous in the same way._"

"Oh, how adorable!" I said as I put the small machine back in my bag and looked at my newest partner.

Ralts looked at me, then seemed to smile at me. I reached down to her and hugged her lightly – enough to let her know how happy I was that I had been able to catch her.

She did her best to return it, then looked to my Swablu.

Swablu looked at her happily, and then got off my head to give Ralts a proper greeting.

While I let the two do their thing, I went over to Juvia, noticing she was reading. It was a rather old book, that's for sure.

"What are you reading, Juvia?" I asked, making her jump.

"Oh! Lucy! I didn't even notice you came over here!"

"Sorry… I thought you heard me!"

"No… I was too wrapped up in this amazing story. Would you like to hear it? It sort of ends in a bit of a tragedy, just to warn you."

"I'm up for it," I said as I sat next to her.

She began to read the text out loud.

"_2,ooo years ago, there was a great disaster that threatened the world. This disaster is known as the devastating battle between Kyogre – the Pokémon_ _of the sea – and Groudon – the Pokémon of the land. The two fought, making it a very dangerous time to live. When all hope was lost – the world about to be destroyed by these two beasts, Rayquaza – the Pokémon of the sky – descended from above and defeated both Kyogre and Groudon, then went back to the skies from whence it came. The two deities went into a deep slumber, as they were completely sapped of their energy._

_A thousand years later, Kyogre and Groudon were awoken, but this time, there was something different. They were much more powerful than they were before, now in their Primal forms. The two glowed from the power within them, and fought more viciously than before. The great Rayquaza descended once again, but this time was defeated by Kyogre and Groudon from the raw strength nature provided them. At this time, a meteor struck our planet's surface, creating a crater deep in the sea. This is now known as Sootopolis City. _

_The meteor from within glowed brightly, and strengthened the emerald giant, allowing it too, to change its form. _

_In this new form, it easily defeated Primal Kyogre and Primal Groudon, sending the two back into slumber. Rayquaza turned back to its original form, and once again flew up into the skies, where it has not been seen since."_

I could only blink. That was some story.

"Wow."

That didn't come from me.

I looked to see everyone else had joined us for our little story time.

Juvia and I jumped and hugged each other, just now noticing the others had listened to the story.

_But what is this feeling? Like I'm supposed to _do_ something… but what?_

"Groudon sounds pretty awesome!" Natsu exclaimed.

"Flame-brain, if anything it was Rayquaza that was awesome. I mean, come on, taking on two ancient deities at once like that?" Gray said.

"I didn't say Rayquaza _wasn't_ awesome. I just think Groudon is cooler than Kyogre is all."

"And how could you _possibly_ come to that conclusion from this little snippet of information?" I asked, almost accusingly.

"Duh. Groudon is the Pokémon of the land. Water freaks me out…"

My eyebrow rose.

"That's your basis for which Pokémon is cooler?"

"Well, yeah."

"Then I guess _I_ think _Kyogre_ is cooler, and could whoop _Groudon's_ big behind if it wanted to even _try_, but its too busy feeling sorry for Groudon, because it's too weak to leave the land!"

I could feel it. I knew I was being irrational, but for some reason… I just couldn't help it. It was like… like I _had_ to stand up for Kyogre or something.

Natsu and I practically glared at each other until Wendy said, "Are you alright, Lucy? You don't normally act like this…"

That seemed to break the 'spell' I was under. I shook my head and blinked a few times to clear it, then said to Wendy, "You're right. I don't know what I was thinking, honestly."

"Yeah, you don't normally fight with Natsu," she said as she and I walked away from the group.

"I know. But it was like… I don't know… I can't explain it. But when I heard Kyogre's name… something flipped inside of me… it's weird… ugh, just ignore me, I think I just need to sleep it off…"

"I agree. I'll go and tell the others you're going to bed. Goodnight, Lucy."

"Goodnight Wendy. Thanks for listening to me."

She smiled, then went back to the group, informing them like she said she would. I was about to call my Pokémon when I opened my tent and saw they were already inside, snuggled near my sleeping bag.

I smiled tiredly, then changed clothes and went to sleep, pulling my two, tired Pokémon to me.

I was fast asleep before they could even adjust to my cuddling.

Thanks for reading! And don't worry, this little 'fight' between Natsu and Lucy won't last long!

Leave a review if you have questions or whatever! I check my email and this site almost every hour each day!


	4. Petalburg? What about Rustboro?

_Previously…_

_I smiled tiredly, then changed clothes and went to sleep, pulling my two tired Pokémon to me. _

_I was fast asleep before they could even adjust to my cuddling._

_**Chapter 4: Petalburg? What about Rustboro?**_

You know those dreams you have and you _know_ you're dreaming?

Yeah, I was having one of those kinds of dreams.

But it was strange, because even though I was in an extremely dangerous place – what looked to be a collapsing cavern – I felt totally safe. It was the weirdest thing.

_Lucy's dream:_

I couldn't really see that far in front of me as I ran towards the little light there was. It was a blue light, so obviously not the outside, as it was nighttime – how I knew that, I have no clue.

I was quickly approaching the light.

When I did, it opened into a very _large_ cavern. In case you wanted to know size wise, you could probably fit about twenty houses in there and still have room to walk.

There was also a fairly large body of water. It was the clearest, bluest, and prettiest water I'd ever seen.

That was when my dream started getting a bit… distorted.

_Something_ came up from the water. It was massive, whatever it was. The screech it gave off was so loud the cavern shook, making it crumble some more.

The creature was the same color was the water, with a bit of red and white with what looked like yellow eyes.

I couldn't tell, but I think it was looking me in the eye.

Then, the scene shifted – and that same beautiful Pokémon looked… almost dead… in a pool of water at the bottom of a different cavern. It was a disgusting grey color, eyes closed, with no sign of life coming from the being.

The feeling that I was safe had long disappeared when I saw this. I was scared, alone, and I didn't know where I was.

I wanted to look around me to see my surroundings, but for some reason I couldn't peel my gaze away from the creature.

The image wasn't distorted this time. And it sickened me.

Where was the beautiful blue skin that seemed to shine brighter when it was in the water? Not this gray skin that seemed to get darker and uglier the longer it was wet…

That was when I woke up.

Thank goodness I did too.

It seems Swablu and Ralts had awoken some time ago, and had tried waking me up.

They were both looking at me worriedly.

That was when I noticed Juvia was in my tent as well.

"Oh Lucy! Thank goodness you're awake! We thought no one would wake up!"

"What… what are you talking about, Juvia?" I asked, yawning.

"Well, Natsu and Wendy have yet to wake up as well. And they're sweating just as much as you were. I think they're stuck in some sort of nightmare… did you have a nightmare?"

I thought about her question. It wasn't a nightmare until the end, when I saw the poor creature in a death like state.

"Not really… it started out okay… but at the end…"

"You can tell me, Lucy. If you're up for it, that is," she smiled at me gently.

So I told her about my dream. I think she was confused on how I could _possibly_ feel safe in a collapsing cavern. And probably even more confused when I told her about the distorted view of the creature. Until I mentioned it was the color of the sea with red and white lines throughout it and had yellow eyes.

"Lucy…" her eyes widened, then she pulled something out of her bag, "did it look like this?" she opened the old book she read to us last night and showed me a picture at the back of it.

I knew.

That was the creature.

I nodded slowly.

I didn't think Juvia's eyes could get any wider when she said, "Lucy… you had a dream… about Kyogre… and you've never even seen a picture of it before… what does this mean…?"

She pondered this while I got out of my sleeping bag and hugged my beloved Pokémon.

"You guys were worried about me, huh?" I whispered.

The two nodded, and I heard something in my head.

_"We were really worried, Lucy…"_

I looked to Ralts, remembering it was a Psychic type.

Did Ralts just communicate telepathically?

She nodded as the voice in my head said, _"Uh-huh. We were so worried when you wouldn't wake up, Lucy… so I looked into your dreams. But I couldn't find you. It's like you were somewhere else and not in your own mind."_

How weird…

_"I agree."_

Would you stop reading my mind now? Just until I'm more awake, kay?

Ralts looked down a bit then replied, _"I guess so…"_

"It's not for forever, silly," I spoke out loud as I kneeled down to pet her head, "just till I'm more awake and have more coherent thoughts."

Ralts seemed to smile at me and nod.

I pat Swablu's head, then began to get ready. I didn't really care that Juvia was still in my tent. She seemed to still be in a daze anyways. And she's a girl, so its not like she doesn't know about another girl's body.

_"Someone's coming!"_

Ralts told me just as I had pretty much completely stripped.

Ralts lifted my sleeping bag with her mind and threw it to me to cover up.

"Hey, Natsu and Wendy are finally up, Juvia! How's Lucy-"

"Don't just barge in here Gray!" I yelled at him.

"O-oh, h-hey Lucy-"

"Get OUT!"

Ralts shoved Gray out – again using telepathy – and closed the tent up.

I visibly relaxed.

Just because I was okay with my _female_ Pokémon and another _girl_ seeing me doesn't mean I'm alright with a _guy_ I _just met_ seeing me all… yeah…

"Well, it seems Lucy's awake now, Erza. Thanks for waking the other two up."

"Not a problem," said a womanly voice. She sounded calm until she said, "Did you just walk in on a woman you don't know getting dressed?"

"U-uh… n-no, Erza… w-why would y-you think that?"

"Hmph. He sure did," I said as I came out of my tent, fully clothed, with a still dazed Juvia and my Pokémon in tow.

I crossed my arms over my chest, then said, "My Ralts had to shove him out because he wouldn't leave."

Ralts copied my movements and crossed her arms as well as she nodded.

The woman that looked like the one Juvia had described yesterday glared at Gray.

"You walked in on a girl getting changed," it wasn't a question… more like a, 'how could you be so stupid' type of statement.

She slammed her fist on his head, and Gray crumbled to the ground.

My eyes widened. Now I understand the fear thing Juvia was talking about…

Erza was about to pick him up – probably to deal another blow – when a man with blue hair and a red tattoo came up from behind her and said, "I think Gray's had enough, don't you? And I'm sure Lucy and her Pokémon will punish him throughout their journey."

The scarlet haired woman relaxed as the man put his hand on her arm.

"You're right," she sighed.

"How do you know my name?" I asked them.

They looked at me, then said, "We arrived here about two hours ago. You, Natsu, and Wendy were out cold while Juvia was hysterical and Gray was trying to wake everyone."

That was when Natsu and Wendy came out of each other's tent.

"Hey, everyone…" Wendy said with a yawn.

Natsu stretched and I couldn't help but look at his exposed chest and biceps.

_Man that guy is _hot_…_

I heard a giggle.

I looked down to see Ralts covering her small mouth.

I sent a mock glare at her.

She simply smiled at me.

_"You're attracted to Natsu, aren't you?"_

And who wouldn't be?

_"You should know I tried to reach him in his dreams, too but I had the same problem. Same with Wendy. All three of you weren't in your own minds last night, someone – or something – was preventing me from seeing your dreams…"_

I squinted at her. Who would be able to do that?

_"Any fully evolved Psychic type."_

"Are you okay, Lucy?"

"Huh?" I jerked out of my conversation with Ralts.

Wendy was the one who asked the question.

"You were just staring at Ralts… it was kinda creepy…"

"Heh… you see… Ralts and I were… well, we were talking…"

"I didn't hear anything," Gray said, apparently now conscious with a hysterical Juvia pampering him.

"Of course you didn't," this time, the blue-haired man was the one who spoke.

Everyone except myself and Erza looked to him confused.

"Ralts is a Psychic type – and a Fairy type – but still a Psychic type. Being that, she can communicate telepathically."

The boys got more confused at the girls nodded in understanding.

"What do you mean by that? Isn't Ralts too weak to be able to do that?" Gray said.

_"Too weak?!"_

My eyebrows flew up as I looked at Ralts. She was pissed.

"Hehe… Gray… I uh… don't think that was the um… best thing for you to say…" I told him as I looked back at him.

"What are you talking about?" he asked.

I pointed above his head.

He looked up.

There was a large boulder floating above him. It looked like it weighed _at least_ fifty pounds, if not more, and from the height Ralts was keeping it at… it could do some _serious_ damage…

The man was shaking his head.

"Never piss off a Psychic type, Gray. They tend to be a lot smarter than they look."

"And how are _you_ such an expert, huh, Jellal?"

Oh, so his name was Jellal.

_"I could have told you that…"_

You're a little busy… being pissed at Gray… I'm not gonna get between that…

I heard a snicker come from her.

The man named Jellal pulled a Pokéball out, and released a Pokémon. One I had never seen. It looked weird… kind of… I don't know how to explain it… so, I whipped out my Pokédex.

The mechanic voice said, "_Solrock, the Meteorite Pokémon. Solrock is a new species of Pokémon that is said to have fallen from space. Sunlight is the source of Solrock's power as it floats in the air and moves silently. In battle, this Pokémon releases intensely bright light. This Pokémon also gives off intense heat while rotating its body. It is said to possess the ability to read the emotions of others._"

Wow. Sounds like a strong Pokémon.

_"Not really. Do you know how many weaknesses that thing has?"_

No…?

_"Heh… I only have three weaknesses thanks to me being a Fairy type as well as a Psychic type, while Solrock has six, being a Rock/Psychic type."_

_"I can hear you, you know."_

We both looked to Solrock.

My eyes widened.

"Solrock is a fairly strong Psychic type. Compared to Ralts – who has yet to evolve – Solrock would easily win in a battle of who the better Psychic type is," Jellal said, almost smugly.

"Of course Solrock is stronger. And besides, I just caught Ralts last night."

He looked at me in shock.

"Ralts is communicating telepathically with you… and you just caught her last night?"

"Uh-huh…" I said as I nodded.

"Do you know what that means?"

"Um… no?"

"You… you…" Jellal couldn't find the words.

"Jellal, breathe," Erza said.

He took deep breaths as he looked at me again.

"You… you can get a _Psychic_ type to befriend you _that_ fast?"

"I-I guess so…?" Jellal was starting to freak me out.

"But how…? It takes a long time for even the _best _trainers to befriend a Psychic type that fast…"

"It was kinda like my Swablu, I guess…"

"No, Normal types and Psychic types are on a _whole_ other level from each other."

"_Swablu!_" My cottony Pokémon screeched at him.

He ignored her. She didn't like that very well. At _all._

Swablu took in a breath. I knew what was going to happen. I covered my ears. So did Ralts. Wendy saw me cover my ears, and hesitantly covered her own. Natsu and Gray had gotten into some kind of argument, with Juvia still trying to tend to Gray's head wound. Jellal was still trying to figure out this equation or whatever, and Erza looked at him concerned.

_That_'s when Swablu let loose her newest Disarming Voice attack. Of course, she did it as loud and hard as she could.

It made everyone cover his or her ears. Solrock started to shake a bit, but otherwise was okay.

"What the hell was that?!" Jellal said once Swablu finished.

Swablu glared at Jellal, while Ralts continued to glare at Gray.

What a good first impression we were making, huh?

"How's that for '_Normal and Psychic types are on a whole other level_'?" I asked in Swablu's place.

"Did you tell her to do that?"

"No. But I wasn't about to stop her. What's up with you all saying _my_ Pokémon are weak, huh?"

"Swablu!" the cotton bird said as she nodded once.

Ralts crossed her arms and looked down, making a _Hmph_ type of noise.

Before anyone could say anything, I packed my belongings – tent included, as it was one of Devon's 'one button set-up and take-down' tents that went into the tiniest cube you'd ever seen – and headed for Rustboro City. My Pokémon followed closely, with Ralts walking beside me on my left, and Swablu flying beside me on my right.

The three of us were still angry, so when a little boy challenged us to a battle against his Zigzagoon, we kind of crushed the poor kid.

"You didn't have to go all out, you know!" he said as he gave us the prize money.

"Then learn to read when people are pissed off, kid!" I said as the three of us headed for Rustboro again.

Ralts didn't fight. She had yet to learn an attacking kind of move, so I let her gain _experience_ by watching Swablu fight.

_"I know Confusion now!" _Ralts said happily.

I looked at her, smiling. I could finally battle with Ralts!

A kid who loved bug types challenged us next. I sent Swablu out first, to let Ralts read the trainer and his tendencies.

Then, as he switched his Pokémon out, I told Swablu to come back to me, and sent Ralts out.

The kid had sent out another Wurmple, a lame bug type that new a poison type move – one of Ralts' three weaknesses. Thankfully, the kid didn't know that until we only had one blow left to deal.

"Aw man! I forgot Ralts was a Fairy type, too!" he said as he paid me.

I smiled at him.

"Just remember it when I come back to challenge you again, yeah?"

His eyes gleamed as he said, "Sure!"

We continued on our way and didn't stop until we reached Petalburg City. I stopped by the Pokémon Center, allowing Swablu and Ralts to rest.

It was nightfall by the time Swablu and Ralts were ready.

Keep in mind that I didn't wake up until around two in the afternoon.

"If you want, I have a room available for the night. We don't really get too many trainers around here. They challenge Norman – and almost always lose – rest their Pokémon, then head home," the nurse in charge of this center said.

"Um… sure. If its not any trouble-"

"Of course it isn't! I just want some company…"

"Well, then, why not."

"Good! Let me show you to your room!"

She led us through the back and into a long-ish hallway.

Once she showed us the room and left, I plopped onto the queen size bed and said, "Well, this beats a tent, doesn't it?"

Swablu nodded happily and curled herself on one of the pillows, while Ralts said, _"Do you miss Natsu?"_

My shoulders drooped a bit.

"I don't understand it, Ralts. I just met him _two days ago_. How could I miss him?" I said out loud.

_"I think he feels the same way."_

"What do you mean?"

_"I can feel him. He's getting closer to the Pokémon Center as we speak… he's looking for you… he seems to be apologetic… but he didn't do anything, why would he be apologetic?"_

I sighed.

Then I heard the sliding glass doors of the Center open, and heard Natsu's familiar voice shout out, "Lucy! Luce, are you in here?!"

"Can I help you?" the nurse said to him.

"Did a blonde girl come through here? She has a Ralts and a Swablu, please tell me she came through here!"

My heart clenched at that. Natsu was looking… for me?

Then the feeling shattered when he said, "My dad is gonna kill me if he finds out I lost her only on our second day…"

Ralts looked at me apologetically.

_"Perhaps I misread his emotions…?"_

The sliding glass doors opened again to probably reveal the others.

"She's here. Solrock can feel Ralts' Psychic power."

Ralts' eyes widened.

I felt a massive wave of pressure as she shouted out telepathically, _"Stay AWAY!"_

It suddenly got very quiet out in the lobby.

"Was that…?" Erza said.

"That had to be Ralts… but to be able to project her telepathy at such a young evolution stage…" Jellal said, sounding confused.

I heard Swablu whisper her name and I looked to her. She had gotten the side window open, creating an escape route.

My eyebrows drew together in thought.

I could continue to run from my problems… and my newest friends… or face them and perhaps rectify our relationships.

I glanced to Ralts, to see she agreed with my plan.

Looking to Swablu, I motioned her over. She flew to me and landed on my outstretched arm.

Drawing in a deep breath, I opened the door and walked out into the view of the others.

I walked into the lobby with Swablu now flying beside me, and Ralts looking angrily at Gray _and_ Jellal.

I bent down and picked her up, hugging her to me, but keeping her facing the others.

The anger almost drained from Ralts' body as she happily did her best to hug me back.

"What do you guys want?" I said, trying to keep anger from reaching my voice. I just wanted people to stop thinking that _my_ Pokémon were weak.

Wendy looked at me, then said, "I never thought your Pokémon were weak, Lucy-san… you beat me in a battle, remember? If I had thought your Pokémon were weak, I'd consider mine to be even weaker. And I don't."

Then Natsu spoke, "And I saw the battle. You and Swablu… it was like you knew what the other was going to do, and you worked together like you had known each other for years – even though Swablu had just hatched. I never thought you and your Pokémon were weak, Luce. If anything, I was amazed at how quickly you picked up battling."

I smiled at the two.

"While I thank you for reassuring the thoughts I already had, I never thought you guys thought we were weak. I was speaking to Gray and Jellal. Who have _yet_ to apologize."

The two mentioned looked at each other then back at me.

"_Apologize_!" Erza and I said at the same time.

The boys jerked and hugged each other, a frightened look on their faces.

"S-sorry!"

_"Sorry for what?"_ Ralts asked them telepathically.

"Sorry for calling you weak!" Gray said as Jellal said, "Sorry for implying you were weak!"

Ralts and Swablu nodded once, then smiled at them. Seems my Pokémon forgave as easily as I did.

"Now, if you all will excuse me, I'm very tired and want to sleep."

"Wait, Lucy-san!"

"Wendy?" I asked raising my brow. When she started adding the –san I got a little worried.

"We should have a girl's sleepover! I've never had one before, and I've always wanted to know what it was like!"

"Oh, me as well!" Erza said, stars in her eyes.

"U-umm… okay… but you've never had a sleepover before?"

"No. I was always helping dad – I mean, Professor Birch,"

"And I was training all the time."

"I've always been with Gray-sama, so…"

"Oh… wow… um… okay… but girls _only. _That includes Pokémon, alright?"

"Oh, okay! I guess then I'll go ahead and leave Treeko with you then, Natsu," Wendy said to her brother.

Juvia handed all but two of her Pokémon to Gray, releasing a Marill.

"Does it count if they don't have a gender?" Erza asked.

"I guess. But only if they want to join us," I told her.

"Okay! Come on out, guys!" she shouted.

An Aron, Magneton, and Mawile came out, along with a Shroomish.

"Aron, Shroomish, go with Jellal, okay? We're having a girl's only sleepover."

They shouted their names and went to the blue-haired trainer.

"You guys can let your female Pokémon have some fun with us too, if you want," I told the guys.

They looked at each other, a little hesitant. Natsu shrugged first and released his Torkoal.

"You're Torkoal's a girl?" I asked him. I would've expected his Fire type to be a boy, since he liked Fire and Dragon types so much.

"Yeah. I didn't know till after I caught her, but she's a beast when she wants to be."

Torkoal cried out happily, and walked over to the rest of us who were about to head to my room.

"Anyone else?" I asked the guys.

Gray sighed and released his Elektrike.

The Pokémon was happy to be released and practically ran over to us.

We giggled as we went to my massive room, overhearing the nurse bring the boys back a separate way to give us some peace and quiet so we could gossip.

Once we were settled with some popcorn and candy the nurse had given us, we began talking. I was still cuddling with my Pokémon. I was as happy as I could be, holding Ralts in my arms and Swablu curled up on my head.

Wendy told us about some of her experiences with Professor Birch. Erza told us about her time with her family – that wasn't really her family as she was adopted, and her adoptive parents died a few years later, but the oldest of them all was twenty, the second oldest being eighteen, so they took care of each other.

I told them about Levy and the fun things we did together – and how she was studying under Professor Oak. I left my mom and dad out though. That wasn't exactly something you talked about on the first sleepover, you know?

I could feel Ralts looking through my memories, her demeanor growing sadder each time she looked at a new memory. I gave her a small squeeze, bringing her back to the present.

She looked at me with sadness in her eyes.

_"I can't believe he'd do that to you… you're his daughter and he – he did those things-"_

I nodded almost imperceptibly.

With story-time over, we watched some movies and fell asleep leaning on each other. We had drawn a bath in the huge tub so that Wendy's Feebas, Juvia's Chinchou, and Erza's Carvanha could be out with us, while the others curled up with us.

**_xxXXxx_**

Sorry for the cheesiness…

And I'm really sorry about how long this took! I was trying to update this story and my other story, 'The Dragon Slayers' at the same time. But that chapter is continuously getting scrapped, and this chapter was ready. So, here it is! I hope it worked for you guys, and thank you, MiheoiV and felic42 for reviewing!


	5. Rustboro, here we come!

_Previously…_

_With story-time over, we watched some movies and fell asleep leaning on each other. We had drawn a bath in the huge tub so that Wendy's Feebas, Juvia's Chinchou, and Erza's Carvanha could be out with us._

Chapter 5: Rustboro, here we come!

I had the dream again. But this time, I started out seeing Kyogre in its gray, death-like form. A blue light shined from behind me, though my eyes couldn't leave the creature to find out where it was coming from – or _what_ it was coming from.

The gray form began to crack, bright light coming out of the cracks, when suddenly the gray hide broke off the Pokémon into a ton of pieces, Kyogre screeching as it was, well, revived.

The scene shifted to the collapsing cavern again. This time, the image wasn't distorted. Kyogre, the ancient diety, was looking me in the eye.

I was in awe. This grand creature was giving me a sense of peace, despite the heavy rain, thunder, and lightning from outside this very cavern.

A sudden roar sounded, and I looked behind me to see the _other_ ancient Pokémon, standing proud.

Kyogre screeched angrily. That was when I noticed a familiar set of pink locks.

"Natsu?" I looked to him, wide-eyed.

"Luce? What are you doing in my dream?"

"Your dream? What are _you_ doing in _my_ dream?"

We looked at each other, confused and completely oblivious to the two deities about to duel.

"How about this. When we wake up, we meet behind the Pokémon Center. That's how we'll know we aren't just dreaming each other," I told him.

"Agreed."

The screech and roar had me covering my ears. I looked back to Kyogre. I had a sudden urge to go to it. As in, into the beautiful clear blue waters it was residing in. I barely tore my gaze away to see Natsu had climbed onto Groudon.

My breathing got heavier as I could feel intense heat coming from the legendary.

I ran as fast as I could to Kyogre, where I felt safe, and I jumped into the pool of blue water, enjoying the coolness on my skin as it enveloped me like a silk blanket.

I resurfaced directly next to Kyogre, who lowered itself deeper into the water. I knew what it wanted. I climbed up on its back dripping wet. I didn't care about my clothes or my bag or any of my other belongings – for some reason I knew my Pokémon were not with me – and I clung to Kyogre's back as it dived to avoid an attack made by Groudon.

Somehow, I could breathe underwater when I was attached to Kyogre.

We didn't surface until we were outside the cavern, where Kyogre immediately screeched again, summoning a very large thunder storm. The clouds circled around a large crater – what I assume is Sootopolis City, the one from the Book of Legends.

That was when Groudon erupted from the ground about ten miles from us, on a small island. The water around Groudon began to heat up and boil away as it too, made its way towards Sootopolis City, bringing with it very harsh sunlight.

I didn't know what to do. Groudon seemed to be intent on fighting Kyogre – since it attacked us any chance it got – even though Kyogre seemed to simply want to ignore it.

I could feel myself starting to get angry. My blood was starting to boil as something came over me. I could feel something pulsing from my bag.

I pulled it out.

It was some blue sphere. Kyogre's eyes widened when it saw what I had.

The rain became heavier and started to overtake Groudon's harsh sunlight.

That's when the orb began to sink into me.

Yes, it was going_ into _my skin. Red and blue lines started appearing over my body, the same color as Kyogre's. Then, the colors started to change – as did Kyogre. The blue turned into a dark purple, and the red to a blue color. And Kyogre _grew_. As in, grew larger. I thought it was big before, but _now._ Now, I'm in shock.

The rain grew _even_ _heavier_, completely overtaking Groudon's sunlight. The wind kicked up, blowing rain hard into every thing. The lightning struck anywhere and anything.

That was when a different roar was heard.

I looked to the sky, knowing what it was as soon as I heard it.

_Rayquaza_.

The emerald beast flew to us, and I noticed a familiar blue-haired girl riding it.

"_Wendy…?_" my voice sounded off, even to me. It was echoing and distorted.

"Lucy-san! What… what happened?!"

My eyes squeezed shut – a terrible pain coursing through me. I opened my eyes to see Kyogre had taken a hit from Rayquaza and Groudon at the same time.

That was when Kyogre's thoughts overpowered my own.

It seems – through the orb – we had been connected somehow. And we now acted as one.

I could feel Kyogre's power swelling as it readied its attack. My eyes closed again as Kyogre took over.

I faintly heard Wendy calling out to me, yelling for me to stop. But I couldn't. I had no power over Kyogre. Or so I thought.

Natsu's voice reached me, when Wendy's couldn't.

"Lucy! You have to stop this! Kyogre is using too much power! It could _kill_ everyone! Including you and Kyogre!"

My eyes slammed open, and I screamed. The pain was almost unbearable. But wasn't this just a dream? How could it feel so _real_?

My body felt like it was being torn in two, it was so intense and _real_.

The blue, purple, and white lines on my body glowed – this was where the pain was more severe.

I was able to open my eyes for a moment, and I looked to Rayquaza to see Wendy had disappeared – same with Natsu.

Then the pain returned.

But then it was bliss. I opened my eyes to see Kyogre had gone back to normal and looking apologetically at me.

Then I woke up.

"Lucy, wake up!" I heard Natsu yelling at me.

My eyelids fluttered open and I saw everyone looking at me like I was an alien.

"W-what… what's wrong?" I asked no one in particular.

"You… you started _glowing_, Lucy…" Erza said.

"G-glowing?" I said bewildered.

Wendy nodded.

"Natsu and I woke up before you did. Did you dream about us too, Lucy-san?"

I nodded, "Yeah… Natsu and I started out in the cavern, and then you flew in and… then you guys disappeared. Was that when you guys woke up?"

"I think so…" Wendy said.

"What happened after we woke up, Luce? You were screaming and in pain when I came in."

"I… I don't know… I heard you… you warned me about how Kyogre was using too much power… a-and something snapped and I was able to overpower Kyogre's anger towards Groudon and Rayquaza… why did they keep hitting Kyogre?! That was the only reason _why_ it started taking that power!"

"Because, Lucy-san, you pulled out that orb, and they panicked."

"What orb?" Juvia asked as she looked at the three of us.

"It was a blue sphere looking thing," Wendy said.

"It was the weirdest thing, Juvia… it… it went _into my skin._ That was when the pain started…"

"That must've been when you started glowing! When the Blue Orb was absorbed into your skin… it makes sense now…" Juvia said, mumbling to herself.

"Are you okay now, Luce?" Natsu asked, concerned.

"Yeah… guess we don't have to meet outside the Center anymore, huh?"

His mouth lifted in a half smile.

I could still feel the power Kyogre had, coursing through my veins. But how could that be? It was only a dream, right? And what about the glowing thing? Was it the orb fusing with me that made Kyogre change form?

So many questions were going through my head, making it throb with the beginning of a headache. I groaned as I got up, making the others look at me in concern.

"I'm okay… just a little tired is all."

"I'll say. You were writhing all over the place and jerking everywhere like someone was constantly attacking you," Erza said.

"That's what it felt like in the dream…"

I couldn't stop picturing Kyogre and the looks it kept giving me. The time where it felt like it was looking into my soul. When it saw the Blue Orb and it going into my skin. Now that I look back on it… I think Kyogre looked _afraid_ when it fused with me. And the anger it felt when Rayquaza and Groudon attacked us… was Kyogre mad because those hits hurt me, too? And finally the apology in its eyes before I woke up…

It all felt so _real_. But _how could it_?

Now I was in a lot more pain as these thoughts continued to rampage in my brain, making it throb against my skull.

My eyes shut as the lights started to become too bright. I felt dizzy… really… really dizzy.

I collapsed onto what I _think_ was the bed.

I didn't wake up for what I knew was a while. I could hear worried voices speaking above me. Then, a voice. One I hadn't heard before but felt so familiar at the same time.

"_It's time to get up. I know you're stronger than this if you can survive the Blue Orb's power."_

My eyelids fluttered open at the distinctly male voice. No one around me was actually speaking right now, so it wasn't anyone in the room.

"_That's better. You have a lot to do before you can come find me."_

Find… you…?

"_Yes, find me."_

An image of Kyogre flashed in my mind.

K-kyogre?

"_Of course. Who did you expect? Especially after your mind fused with the Blue Orb – the single item that grants my Primal Reversion."_

I-is that what that was? When you grew and changed color and form?

"_Yes. My Primal Reversion state allows me to be much stronger than my normal form. Groudon has one as well, while Rayquaza can Mega-Evolve using the meteorites that enter our atmosphere."_

Wow. You guys sure are strong…

I felt Kyogre chuckle. _"Again, what did you expect? I _am_ a Legendary, am I not?"_

I thought you were genderless?

"_Humans do not know how to determine our gender, as there is only one of us. Groudon and I are males, Rayquaza is female."_

Cool.

That was when the others noticed I was awake.

"_We'll speak again later. You will need help reviving me."_

An image of Kyogre's grey and lifeless form flashed in my mind, and I almost flinched.

I can't wait, Kyogre. You're pretty fun to talk to. And informative…

He chuckled. _"And you as well, Lucy Heartfilia."_

"Why didn't you tell us you were awake, Lucy-san!" Wendy said worriedly as I felt Kyogre's voice and presence leave me. It left me feeling cold and alone, somehow…

Everyone actively agreed with Wendy, wondering why I hadn't informed them I was indeed awake.

Ralts and Swablu were curled into me, Ralts at my side and Swablu in my neck. Then the warmth returned. I would never be alone again, thanks to my Pokémon.

"I was thinking," I said, preventing a giggle.

"You all need to let Miss Heartfilia here rest. She's had a rough time already without you all questioning her," the nurse from before said as she entered the room.

As everyone except the nurse and my Pokémon left, she said, "And how are you feeling? Better?"

I nodded. I really was. My head was no longer pounding from the questions – even though most of them were still there – and I didn't feel dizzy at all.

"Good. I believe your Ralts there shared some of the pain you were going through. I had to heal her up once you were safe."

I looked down to my Ralts.

She curled closer to me, snuggling into my side.

I thanked the nurse as she left me alone. My eyelids drifted shut.

But it didn't even feel like a minute had passed when I heard a familiar human voice.

"Hey, Luce… you okay?" Natsu whispered.

I opened my eyes to see him looking over me. I had never been _quite_ able to determine the color of his eyes. But they were like a dark onyx color, and I couldn't help but stare into them. I didn't even know my mouth was moving until I heard my own voice croak out, "Y-yeah… I'm okay…"

Relief washed over his features.

"That's good. You had all of us worried for a while there. Especially after our dreams… and when you were still stuck in yours… I saw what happened to you, Luce… blue and purple and white lines were all over your body, like they were in our dream. But how could our dream become _real_?"

I wanted to tell Natsu then that Kyogre had spoken to me. But he was already worried about me. Anymore and they'd send me to the loony bin, thinking I'd lost my mind.

I sighed and bit the inside of my cheek. I _so_ wanted to tell him. It was beginning to eat at me from how bad I wanted to tell him.

When I was going to speak, Natsu said something before I could.

"And the weirdest thing is though… it was like… like I knew you were going to be okay. Does that even make sense?"

"Did someone tell you that?" I asked hesitantly.

"W-well… yeah… but not a person, per say… but um… you're not gonna believe this-"

"Did Groudon tell you I was going to be okay?"

His eyes widened a bit. Then he slowly nodded.

I gave him a small smile.

"_Don't tell him about our communication. It'll only worry him, believe me. Ask your Ralts if you don't."_

My eyebrows drew together. I looked to Ralts and tried to wake her with my thoughts.

"_What are you doing, Lucy…?"_ Ralts said tiredly.

Ralts read my thoughts and said, _"I agree. He's not ready for that. He's still trying to figure out his communication with Groudon. If you want to tell anyone, tell Wendy. She's accepted the communication already between her and Rayquaza."_

"I believe you," I said to Natsu finally. But that was all I said.

Ralts went back to sleep, and I felt Kyogre reopen the 'communication channel'.

"_Believe me now?"_

I believed you before, I just wanted a second opinion.

I felt him chuckle. _"Of course you did."_

Kyogre's presence faded again.

Looking back to Natsu, I saw he was smiling brightly. This boy was so easy to please.

Wendy came in then, shooing Natsu out. He reluctantly left.

"Did you feel it too?" Wendy asked me.

"Um… I don't know… feel what?"

"You know… _them_?"

"Oh… I think so. Are you talking about um… Rayquaza and Kyogre?" I said, whispering the last part.

She nodded so fast and hard, I thought she was gonna get whiplash.

"Then yes. _He_ has talked to me. And I guess um… _she_ has to you?"

"Yeah. Isn't it awesome! I mean, the three of us… you and I haven't even gotten our first _gym badge_, and the ancient deities have already picked _us_!" Wendy said excitedly. Stars were in her eyes as she thought back to everything she's been through in the past twenty-four hours.

Throughout my time in the Pokémon Center, I continued to have conversations with Wendy and Natsu, though no one else decided to visit me.

Natsu still doesn't know about Wendy and my little chats with the ancient deities. Even now he has no clue as we make our way towards Petalburg Woods with our large group of people. Rustboro City, here we come!

**_xxXXxx_**

Thanks for your patience, everyone! I've been so stressed and busy lately!

My job has gotten a bit… tiring, to say the least. And we're moving _again_. And I've had the longest headache I've ever had, that started on and off a few weeks ago, and has intensified over the past few days. It seems to be going away now, so I hope it shouldn't take me _too _long updating this story or 'The Dragon Slayers' from here on out. On top of all that, the beginning and middle parts of my 'The Dragon Slayers' story is currently stalled by a little thing called writer's block. Anyways… the next chapter for both of these stories should be out next week! And I am trying to start back up on 'Can We Be More?', but its a struggle.

Thanks again for the patience, and thank you for the encouraging reviews! Please continue with those!


	6. Let me sleep wait! I didn't mean it!

**Chapter 6**

We made it to Rustboro fairly easily. It wasn't all that hard at all, now that I think back on it. There weren't any 'tough' trainers.

Well… one interesting thing _did_ happen…

Somebody was ambushed.

And _I_ stopped it from happening.

Oh yeah! Who's awesome? Me and _my_ Pokémon, that's who!

Anyways, what happened was…

The seven of us were walking through – we were about halfway through the woods when someone yelled out "H-hel- ghmph!"

We all ran to the sound of the noise, and saw a man getting gagged and tied up by a group of people in a strange uniform.

"What are you doing?" Erza demanded.

The group of people jerked around to look at us, the man tied up in front of them making noises – probably trying to tell us to kick some butt.

"We're Team Aqua! Nobody interferes in our business! Get 'em, boys!"

"Aye!"

They lined up and each drew out a Pokémon. Turned out to be a horde of Poochyena, really.

I chose Swablu, though I kept Ralts in my arms so she could learn from the battle, and perhaps be of some use... hehe…

Natsu brought out Trapinch, Wendy released Treeko, Erza chose her Aron, and Jellal brought out Solrock. Gray and Juvia were trying to sneak around them to get to the man and untie him.

Solrock and Treeko were down within a few hits – Solrock being a Psychic type, and Treeko being hit with a Poison Fang.

Aron and Trapinch went down next, with a Fire Fang and Ice Fang.

All their attentions went to Swablu, who – other than Solrock – was the only one in the air.

I asked Ralts to open up a telepathic channel between Swablu and I. Ralts did so immediately.

"Swablu, fly up high!" I told her through Ralts just as a Poochyena tried to get her with Ice Fang.

"_Swa!_"

She went as high as she could – dodging the attack – while still able to hear me.

"Use Disarming Voice!"

Her cry went throughout the battlefield, knocking out all the Poochyenas – as it's a Fairy type move versus Dark type Pokémon.

The group of people calling themselves Team Aqua looked at my Swablu as she flew down and rested on my outstretched arm.

"Hmm." I said, nodding my head. Swablu copied my movements with her own "_Swablu._"

Erza and Jellal's eyes were wide, while Natsu had a half-smile on his face and Wendy was looking at me in adoration.

Gray and Juvia had just untied the poor man, getting him to safety.

"Hehe… Bye!" I said, taking off running with Swablu flying close to my head, Ralts still in my arms.

The others quickly followed, bringing the man with us.

Once we were a safe distance away – and about a quarter of the way out of Petalburg Woods – we stopped and asked the man some questions.

"Who are you?"

"Are you hurt?"

"What did Team Aqua want from you?"

"Who's Team Aqua?"

I guess we actually bombarded him with questions, but still.

He answered all of our questions – well, except one. Which is what his name was.

"I'm fine, thanks to you all. I work for the Devon Corporation – which is why Team Aqua was after me. I was supposed to be delivering something for the Corporation when they jumped me. I don't really know much about Team Aqua, though. I just know they're a group of bad people who range from stealing Pokémon and high value items."

"Well, don't they sound like a ray of sunshine," Gray said.

"Oh, no, that would be Team Magma. Pretty much the same deal with Team Aqua, but the two teams hate each other. One looks to the land, and the other to the sea," the Devon worker said.

"Shouldn't be too difficult to figure out which one loves which, eh?" I said jokingly.

Natsu and Gray rolled their eyes, Wendy and Juvia giggled, Erza quirked her brow, and Jellal gave me an annoyed look.

We made our way for the exit with the Devon worker once we knew it was safe to continue. I gave Swablu and Ralts lots of love – as they were basically the reason we won that battle – and the others sweat dropped at the attention I was giving them. Maybe it was a little much to stop and make Poké Puffs, but they deserved it! They kicked some Poochyena butt!

When we rested for a bit before leaving Petalburg Woods, I was surprised at what happened.

"Lucy! Let us battle! I want to determine just how strong you really are."

"U-ummm… o-o-okay, E-erza…"

"Go, Magneton!"

"Erza, are you sure?" I heard Jellal ask.

"Of course. I want to determine how strong she is."

This is what was going through my mind: battle scenarios.

No matter what, I was at a large disadvantage. Ralts, being a Fairy-Psychic type, her attacks won't do much damage at all – if any. And Swablu can fly around, but Magneton isn't restricted to the ground like those Poochyena were. That, and being a Flying type versus an Electric type, and a Normal type versus a Steel… oi…

There's no way I can win by type match-up. Was that Erza's intention? She knows I only have two Pokémon on my team… and its not like there are any in the woods that could help me against a Magneton.

I guess I just need to give it my all. Last as long as I can against Erza.

…

I didn't really need to try all that hard… Magneton refused to listen to anything Erza said, and just attacked my Pokémon at random.

Ralts figured out Magneton's pattern quickly, and was able to tell Swablu and I so we could adjust our attacks accordingly.

It took awhile, but we won with a Confusion attack being the final blow.

Swablu constantly put Magneton to sleep, while Ralts used Confusion and Growl to lower attacks and well… confuse Magneton.

Like I said, it took awhile, but we won. They got more Poké Puffs, of course. Hehe… my Pokémon are _so_ spoiled…

Natsu and Gray wanted to challenge me after that.

"C'mon, Luce! You beat Erza's _strongest_ Pokémon! We've gotta see if we can, too!" Natsu said excitedly.

"Yeah! If we can beat you, than we can definitely take on Erza!"

"What's that supposed to mean? Wait, it doesn't matter. Guys, my Pokémon are _tired_. Remember? We kinda saved the day before and all…? And Erza's Magneton took a lot out of both Swablu and Ralts. We need rest, alright?"

They were going to complain some more until Wendy cut in.

"She's right guys. They need their rest at a Pokémon Center," she said after giving them a quick exam.

At that, I gently grabbed Swablu and Ralts and held them to me and started walking for the exit. I didn't look to see if anyone would follow, I just assumed they would.

But I guess I was wrong, because I exited Petalburg Woods alone.

I couldn't go back in though. Swablu was looking worse with each passing minute, and Ralts wasn't faring much better.

I started to run at that point to the Center.

I could see it!

I ran harder to the entrance.

When I finally made it after narrowly avoiding running into someone, I ran to the closest nurse on duty.

She immediately took my Pokémon to the back and began healing them. Since this was a larger Center than the one in Oldale and Petalburg, I was able to stay with my Pokémon while they were being healed.

"Sweetie, you don't look so good yourself. Maybe you should rest, hm?" the nurse said once she got my Pokémon situated.

"I'm good. I'll wait until they're healed."

She sighed and nodded.

"_You need to rest."_

Go away… I know I need to, but I don't want to leave them alone. What if I start 'glowing' again?

"_Don't worry about glowing. You've already fused yourself mentally with the Orb. You won't glow again until you're either with me, or fusing physically with the Orb."_

But… I can't just leave them…

"_Your friends are close by. Nothing will happen to them in the next few minutes, I can tell you that right now."_

But…

"_You need your rest. Sleep, Lucy."_

And suddenly, it was like my body took over my mind as I felt my eyelids close and my head softly thump on the bed where my beloved Pokémon were.

Thankfully, I didn't dream that time. Whether it be from not sleeping long enough or something completely different, I was still grateful.

I really didn't want to start glowing again.

"Do you think she's awake?" I heard Wendy ask.

"I bet she wasn't even asleep this whole time," Jellal said.

Why, you…!

"Nah, she's asleep," Natsu said.

"How do you know, flame-brain?"

"U-um… just cause-"

"What Natsu-san is trying to say," Wendy cut in, "is that the night before, Natsu-san saw Lucy-san sleeping and he watched her sleep for awhile."

My eyelids almost shot open. I think they would've if they weren't so stinkin' heavy. Why are they so heavy? I'm wide awake, aren't I?

"You did _what_." Erza said.

Next thing I heard was something clanging, then Natsu whining a few seconds later about being in pain.

"I wonder why Lucy-san hasn't woken up yet though. It's been five hours already, and she was full of energy when we saw her last."

"I-I think it's the same thing that happened to everyone else," said an unfamiliar voice. Who was that?

"Who are you?" Juvia asked whoever it was. Thank you, Juvia!

"My name… is Yukino. M-my friends and I were travelling and we stopped by this Pokémon Center to rest when my friend Rogue and his girlfriend Kagura fell asleep. They haven't woken up yet, though, and it's been eight hours."

What in the world is going on?

Why can't I _move_?

Ralts? Are you there?

_Kyogre?_

…Anyone?

I was beginning to panic.

I haven't felt so alone since… well, since… since Mom died…

I don't want to be alone anymore…

Where's Ralts? Swablu? Kyogre, even?

Wendy? Erza? Juvia? Gray? Jellal? … Natsu?

…anybody…?

_Natsu's POV_

What in the world is taking Lucy so long to wake up? Is she in a coma or something? She's been asleep almost a whole day now.

If dad ever found out this happened… oh I'd be so screwed.

Lucy's Ralts and Swablu were really worried. Ralts continued to try and reach into Lucy's mind, while Swablu stayed by her side and never left.

I had the same feeling.

I didn't want to leave her alone. I don't know why, I just didn't. It felt wrong to leave her.

"_Idiot… you like her, admit it."_

Oh, have I mentioned the Legendary Pokémon that randomly starts talking to me in my head? Yeah, I know… I'm weird…

And of course I like her! She's my best friend!

"_Natsu… oh, you have so much to learn."_

What's that supposed to mean?

"_You're developing _different_ feelings for the girl."_

Again… what?

"_Oi… you are starting to like her much more than _just_ a friend, Natsu. Much, _much_, more."_

Um… okay.

"_Natsu! … You are beginning to fall in _love_ with her, you idiot!"_

What?!

"Natsu, are you okay?" Wendy asked.

"U-um, y-yeah, fine. Why do y-you ask?"

"Well… you went really rigid and pale all of a sudden. Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah. I'm fine, Wendy," I told her in a much more calm voice.

She looked like she was going to ask again so I said, "Really. I'm just worried about Luce, is all."

"We all are, but-"

"And what dad would do to me if he found out this happened."

That seemed to satisfy her, because she didn't say anything else after that.

It's now been tweny-four hours, and no one who fell asleep woke up.

What in the world was going on?

I mean, I could sleep and be just fine, same with Wendy and everybody else. But Lucy, that Rogue and Kagura, and a bunch of others _still_ hadn't woken up.

"_Ask Wendy to ask Rayquaza. She should know the cure."_

Wendy or Rayquaza?

"_Who do you think, Natsu?"_

Oh… right…

"Wendy, can I talk to you for a sec?"

"Um, sure Natsu, what's up?" she said as I pulled her out into the hall.

"I need to ask you something."

"Okay, what is it?"

"Its going to sound strange at first, so bare with me, okay?"

"Natsu, just spit it out."

"Okay… Ask Rayquaza for the cure."

"U-ummm… what?"

"Look, its hard to explain, but, I was told to ask you to ask Rayquaza about the cure."

"That's not what I meant. What I meant was… how do you know I speak with Rayquaza?"

"B-because… um…"

"Groudon told you?"

"H-how did you-?"

"I deduced."

"What?" I asked, very confused.

"Heh. Rayquaza talks to me, Kyogre talks to Lucy-"

"Wait, Kyogre talks to Lucy?"

"Yep. She told me so."

"But… oh for the love of everything, all this is giving me a massive headache…" I told her as I put my hand to my head.

"Yeah… I know. Is that what made you so pale earlier?" she asked, giggling.

"Part of it, yeah. And of course the whole thinking about dad finding out thing…"

"Hehe… yeah… anyways, Rayquaza said that in order to cure everyone… we've got to do a few things… and we need a _lot_ of Psychic Pokémon's power…"

_A few hours later…_

_Outsider POV_

"Do you know what you're doing?" Jellal asked hesitantly as he released his Solrock and Kadabra.

"Of course I know! It's just taking longer than I thought it would…" Wendy responded.

Sighing, Jellal looked worriedly at his Pokémon. Other people in the Center had offered their Pokémon, looking for _any_ cure possible.

Wendy began giving instructions to the many Psychic types.

Obeying, the Psychic types moved all of the sleeping people to the lobby – so they could be in one location. No one was worried about anyone coming in, the Center was closed to the public a few hours ago.

After the last person was placed gently on each of the waiting gurneys, Wendy gave them more instructions.

Nobody could hear what the young bluenette was saying, but soon, the Psychic types went in a circle around all of the comatose people.

Suddenly, all the people started shining – brightly.

After a few moments of intense light, it began to fade.

…And people woke up.

Everyone crowded around their loved ones and friends, crying and saying how much they missed them.

The small group of people left looked to their blonde-headed friend.

She didn't move a muscle.

"Why isn't Lucy-san waking up…?" Juvia asked, tears in her eyes.

"I-I don't know… it should've worked…" Wendy said quietly.

That's when Lucy's body began to glow.

_Lucy's POV_

I could feel it. I was coming out of whatever this was! I wasn't going to be alone anymore!

"_Lucy?!"_

Ralts!

"_Lucy! You're okay!"_

Oh my goodness, its so good to hear _someone_'s voice!

"_But why aren't you waking up?"_

I don't know! I've just been in this lonely fog for who _knows_ how long, and no one has been able to hear me…

That was when I felt it. My body glowing from the power of the Blue Orb.

"_L-lucy! You're glowing again!"_

I know! I can feel it!

I could feel the power of it going through my body, awakening every fiber and every cell. The fog lifted even more, and suddenly, I didn't have a connection with Ralts anymore.

"_There you are, Lucy…"_

Kyogre!

I could feel him chuckle.

"_It's good to hear from you again."_

What happened?

"… _A sleeping spell of some kind, made from a powerful Psychic type and its Trainer. After Wendy used the Psychic types to alleviate a little bit of the spell from you, the Blue Orb was able to finish the job, reviving you. Seems as though you were the real target, and if you hadn't fused with the Orb in your dream… you would still be asleep right now…"_

Wait, why was _I_ the target?

"_I do not know… but you need to be more careful. Stay away from anyone 'new', okay?"_

But… how will I make more friends? That's all I want… more friends…

Kyogre didn't respond, but that was okay.

Because then, I woke up. And I saw my Pokémon's faces and the faces of my friends. I was happy to see them all again, but what Kyogre had told me left me worried and confused.

Who would want to target me? I've barely started my journey, and no one except Wendy knew about my connection with the ancient legendary Pokémon.

_Later:_

"I'm glad you're finally awake, Luce. Everyone was really worried about you." Natsu said to me that night at dinner. It was just me, Natsu, Wendy, and our Pokémon. The others had gone to sleep for the first time in quite a few hours – apparently thanks to me…

"Heh… yeah, I was worried too."

"You were conscious?" Wendy asked in disbelief.

"Yeah… I could hear everything and smell everything… but I couldn't move. It was like my mind lost power over all of my muscles or something."

"How strange…" Wendy said.

"You're telling me… I couldn't even speak with Ralts, here." I said as I pet Ralts' head softly. I was also petting Swablu of course. Both of them really didn't want to leave my side. I didn't mind, because I didn't want them to leave me either.

"What about Kyogre?" Wendy asked. My eyes widened quite a bit as I looked to Natsu. He seemed… okay… but how… huh…?

"Oh, right! Did I forget to mention? Yeah… um… Natsu and I talked… he knows about me and Rayquaza and you and Kyogre… hehe…" Wendy said, looking at her hands and blushing.

I could feel _my_ blush beginning to rise.

I don't know why, okay?!

"Yeah… Groudon kind of told me a few things anyway, so…"

"All I want to know is… how the heck did the three of us end up like this. I mean, it started with a dream, right?" I asked them. I didn't expect an answer, so I continued.

"So when did everything change? I mean really… it started that night, right? When Juvia read that book about the three Legendaries?"

They both nodded.

"What were we 'chosen' for? Aren't these questions going through your heads, too?" I said, exasperated.

"Nope," Natsu said.

"Kind of… not _that_ in depth though…" Wendy said, looking at her hands.

I sighed. Guess I'm over-thinking things again…

"_Heh… not really. You're asking the correct questions. Just not at the right time or the right audience,"_ Kyogre told me.

Um… okay… so… when and who do I ask?

"_Us. And later. Much later."_

Alright, I guess… but who's 'us'?

"_Myself… Rayquaza… Groudon… I thought you were smarter than that, Lucy," _Kyogre joked.

I internally rolled my eyes. Or so I thought.

"Why'd you just roll your eyes, Luce?"

"She was probably talking to Kyogre, Natsu. Have you already forgotten?"

"I figured she was speaking with Kyogre, Wendy. I was just wondering _why_."

"If you must know, he and I were having a bit of a… what's the word…? Oh yes, a teasing session. Him being the teaser."

"Him?" Natsu asked.

"Yeah… Guess Groudon didn't tell you about the genders, huh?"

"No, he did. But he said Kyogre was a girl.

"_That bastard did WHAT?!"_ Kyogre screamed as I instinctively covered my ears.

Yeah, didn't help.

EASY! THAT'S MY HEAD YOU'RE SCREAMING INTO, BUDDY!

"…_Sorry…"_

"Tell Groudon that Kyogre's gonna kick his ass when he wakes up…" I said, almost growling from the sudden headache.

"Well, Groudon says bring it."

My eyes narrowed at Natsu. Oh they were _both_ SO going to get it…

"_I knew I liked you for a reason, Lucy…"_ Kyogre said, chuckling almost evilly.

I could feel an evil smile cross my lips as Kyogre and I plotted revenge.

"W-what's that look for, Lucy-san?" Wendy asked, sounding scared.

"Oh? I don't know what look you're talking about," I said, innocently, while still looking evilly at Natsu.

Said boy shrunk in his seat a bit.

Yes, FEAR EVIL LUCY!

"_Ahem."_

Right, sorry.

FEAR EVIL LUCY AND EVIL KYOGRE!

"_Much better."_

I couldn't help but giggle out loud.

"You have some strange mood swings, Luce…" Natsu said, scared and confused

"He's right, Lucy-san…" Wendy agreed, though she was only concerned now.

"Kind of hard to be _normal_ with a living Pokémon having conversations with you in your head," I said matter-of-factly.

"Wait, you have _conversations_ with Kyogre?" Natsu asked.

"Um, yeah. Don't you guys?"

"No!" They replied at the same time.

And why's that?

"_They haven't absorbed the respective orbs yet. The Red and Jade Orbs, I mean. So, Groudon and Rayquaza don't have the strength to have full-blown conversations with them."_

Ohhh….

Can I explain that to them?

"_Sure. Why not? Let's rub it in their faces that we're stronger than they are!" _he said evilly.

Heck yes!

I explained it to them. They looked at me in shock.

"So, we have to go through what you went through to have the same connection?" Wendy asked as her shoulders drooped.

"Yep."

"Think I'll pass for now…" she said.

"Definitely waiting," Natsu said, agreeing.

"Wimps…" I muttered.

"I heard that!"

The rest of the night continued like that while Kyogre and I continued to plot revenge against Natsu and Groudon.

Of course, in order to _get_ revenge on the both of them, the deity would have to be revived. Which meant Kyogre needed to be revived.

Oh, I just can't wait!

**_xxXXxx_**

So, what'd you think? I tried to add a few funny moments into this but, I might not've pulled it off… lemme know what you think, please and thank you!


	7. Roxanne!

In case I forgot to mention, my awesome readers forgot, or you couldn't figure it out already, _"Italics"_ is now solely telepathy, _**"**_**Bold**_**"**_ is Pokémon speech, and a new one:

\- (_date of memory_) is a memory/flashback.

Enjoy!

_Chapter 7: Roxanne?!_

After the whole scare with the spell thing, all of us were ready and wanting to challenge the gym leader, Roxanne. We were just a block away from that very gym, sitting in the park under one of the great Oak trees there.

Anyway, from what Natsu, Gray, Jellal, and Erza were saying, Roxanne is actually a very good opponent.

"If you want any chance of beating Roxanne, you need a Pokémon with good attack and speed, and one that isn't very effected by Rock-type attacks," Gray told the rest of us. Juvia, Wendy, and I haven't gotten any badges yet, so we were in for a quick lesson by these four.

"Or attack with brute force!" Natsu chimed in.

Erza shook her head. "With some types of Pokémon, yes, that would be accurate. But Rock types do not fall into that category. With its defense, it is quite hard to take out in one blow. And some Rock types even have an ability that prevents 'One-Hit Knock Outs.'"

"So, what type of Rock-types does she have?" Juvia asked.

"Excellent question!"

All of us jumped and turned to look at the woman herself, Roxanne.

"Hello! Nice to meet all of you! Of course, a few of you look familiar, but I know I have not met you three before…" she said as she gestured to Juvia, Wendy, and I.

Natsu spoke before anyone could utter a word.

"Oh, this is Juvia, the water-user, my little sister, Wendy, and our new neighbor Lucy!"

"_Oi… so much for not meeting new people…"_

Well, I kind of _have _to meet the gym leaders, you know…

I thought Kyogre wasn't going to respond until he said, _"The only reason why I want you to be careful is because the person and their Pokémon had to be in close range when they made the sleeping spell, otherwise it would've just dissipated."_

You mean I might've walked right past them and not even known it?

"_Precisely." _

Oi…

"_My thoughts exactly."_

Wendy jerked me out of my thoughts as she said, "Lucy-san?"

"Y-yes?"

"She asked you something…" the bluenette said as she looked to Roxanne.

"I'm sorry… I must've gotten lost in thought," I said with the politeness I had learned to attain from the years with my father. "Could you please repeat your question?"

I could see Roxanne's eyebrow almost quirk up at my sudden formalness, but she responded nonetheless.

"I was wondering what Pokémon you were planning on challenging my gym with."

"Oh. Well, I wasn't planning on challenging you today-"

"What?" Natsu, Erza, and Gray said at the same time.

"-because my Pokémon and I still need training. I can tell just by looking at you that you'd take us out with one blow…"

This time her eyebrow did raise.

"And what makes you say that…?"

"Well, for starters, you're a Rock-type user. That already puts me at a type disadvantage with my Swablu, and my Ralts here doesn't know any attacking type move other than Confusion. So, just by looking at that, we'd have a really hard time."

"Nonsense."

That came from Erza.

"I don't believe a bit of that. The three of you took my Magneton out easily enough, and Magneton's the strongest one on my team."

"But that's the thing. I doubt Roxanne's got a problem with her Pokémon listening to her. That's how we won that battle. Ralts figured out Magneton's attacking and defense pattern and used that to our advantage."

"Yes, but you still won, sweetie," Roxanne said.

"But-"

"Do you not believe your Pokémon can do it? Because that will set you up for failure each time."

"No, it's not that, it's-"

"Then what is holding you back? If you don't do it, you won't ever succeed!" She sounded like she was getting frustrated with me or something. But I didn't hear whatever it was she said next.

A memory had begun filtering its way into my mind, cutting out everything else.

\- (_Twelve years ago)_

_I hope Papa likes my present. Maybe this year, he'll remember it's my birthday today! _

_I knocked on the door to his study, hoping I wasn't 'disturbing his studies', as he always said I did._

"_Come in."_

_I slowly opened the door to see Papa behind his big desk writing on some papers or something._

"_Hi Papa!" I said as quietly as I could, "I made you something!" I set the little card I had made on his desk for him and then said, "Maybe you can take a break from work and stuff and we could-"_

"_Lucy! I have no time for this! If you have the time to do something as useless as this," he gestured to the card as he ripped it to shreds, "then you have plenty of time for your studies! And then _maybe_ you'll actually be of some _use_ to me! And if you fail me… there will be consequences."_

_I held the tears in as he dismissed me, but as soon as the doors were closed behind me, I ran straight for the garden where Mama was, tears streaming down my cheeks as I tried not to trip on anything in the large house._

"_Mama!"_

_No response came. _

_A response hadn't come since Mama was last here… now in the ground where the angel is watching her._

_I still ran to her and cried my heart out. _

_(End of memory)_

"_Lucy…"_

After I 'awoke' from my memory, I looked to see Ralts had tears in her eyes.

"_Why… why would he do that to you…?"_

Grief over Mama. He lost himself in his work and I haven't seen the man my mom had once been in love with since.

Ralts whimpered and did her best to hug me. I snuggled her as close as I could, trying to forget the memory as I had once done before.

"Lucy-san… are you okay?" Juvia asked.

I wasn't going to lie. I was anything _but _okay.

I shook my head in response.

I didn't want to be there anymore. Ralts and Swablu understood immediately, Ralts staying in my arms and Swablu flying up to my head.

I began walking, but I wasn't getting away from them fast enough. I didn't want my new friends to see me cry over something so stupid. So I started running. And running. And running.

I didn't stop until I was out of the city limits. It was nearly dusk at this point, and I was exhausted. I sat down on a nearby bench, catching my breath.

Ralts and Swablu both decided now was a good time to rest, and I didn't blame them. My hold on Ralts was only tight enough that I knew she wouldn't fall off my lap, and Swablu curled up next to me on the bench.

"_Oh, Lucy…"_

I sniffled in response to Kyogre's voice.

Sighing, he said, _"You didn't have to run from your friends… they only wanted to help."_

But… I don't want them to see me like this… this weak thing…

"_They don't think you're weak, Lucy. They're just confused is all. One moment you're having a conversation with Roxanne, and the next you're running away like you're life depended on it."_

"**Pooch, Poochyena!"**

"Guys, she's up here!"

My head jerked up as I saw all my friends running to me. I felt my eyes becoming misty with more tears as they approached, and so I put my head back down so my bangs would cover my face.

Ralts and Swablu had woken up by this point from my sudden movements, and were now staring at everyone.

"Lucy, are you alright?" Erza asked.

Really, Erza? I think we already established that I'm _not_ alright.

I didn't say a word and kept my head down.

"_They deserve an answer Lucy…" _Kyogre whispered.

I know they do… but _I'm_ the problem! I don't have the courage to tell them about…

I couldn't even finish my sentence, but Kyogre seemed to understand.

"_Then tell them you're not ready."_

Before I could say anything, I felt someone's presence become closer to me, so I instinctively flinched away, clutching Ralts tighter to me.

"**Ralts!"** my Pokémon cried out as she warned whoever approached me to back off.

"Luce, it's just me, Natsu."

Natsu?

"_Do you still want me to warn him off?" _Ralts asked me.

I… don't know…

I could feel Ralts reading my thoughts, but said nothing to me. She untangled herself from my arms and hopped onto the bench, Swablu moving to the top part of the bench.

I missed her as soon as she had left my arms, and so I began to hug myself instead. But what threw me off guard was the feeling of warm, secure, and strong arms wrapping around the back of my legs and my upper back, cradling me to the owner of those arms. Just like how I had always wished my Papa would carry me to bed at night after a long day of playing outside with each other.

With that wishful memory on my mind, I let out a small whimper and curled more into this person's arms and clutched the front of his shirt in my hands.

After this, the man's scent lulled me to sleep, never having felt safer in my life.

_Natsu's POV_

"_Trust me on this, okay, Natsu?"_

B-but, Ralts-

"_Just do it! I've looked into her mind, and even if she _did _mind you doing this – which she doesn't, by the way – she won't even remember it tomorrow! She's too stuck in the past right now."_

What do you mean, she's stuck in the past?

"_Something Roxanne said… triggered a memory and she's having a hard time forcing it back down."_

I was still debating, but eventually, I went over to Lucy and picked her up off the bench. I was about to sit down with her, but she let out the smallest whimper that tugged at something deep inside me. Something that made me feel the need to protect her from whatever it was that was hurting her. But what was in her memory that caused her to shut off from the world? It had to be bad for it to take away Lucy's smile.

I had noticed that Lucy was almost always smiling. Even when she was mad at me or someone else, she's always smiled at her Pokémon and others' Pokémon as well.

I looked down at Lucy's face as she drifted off in my arms, her hands still clutching my shirt.

"How adorable!" came a familiar shout.

Lucy whimpered again at the noise and did her best to curl into me as I continued to hold her.

I heard a growl from somewhere and looked down to see my newest Poochyena growling and getting in his attack stance.

Looking up again, I saw Roxanne making her way toward us.

"Oh, you two make the perfect coup-"

Somehow I let loose a growl. I've _never_ growled in my life. Yet it rivaled Poochyena's in it's warning to back off. Or at the very least to lower her volume. Jeez, did she _have_ to practically yell everything?

Everyone looked at me, surprised by my action.

"Lucy's sleeping," I said in explanation.

That didn't seem to satisfy everyone, so I added, "You were being too loud, to the point where Lucy was beginning to wake up. She's exhausted and needs to rest."

With that, I began walking to the hotel we had gotten earlier, only ensuring that Poochyena, and Lucy's Pokémon were following.

A new voice popped into my head suddenly.

"_Thank you, Natsu."_

Who's this? You don't sound familiar…

An image flashed in my mind of the Ruler of the Sea.

Kyogre? Why… but… how…?

"_Since you and Lucy are such close friends, and you _are_ technically holding my Blue Orb… I'm able to communicate with you."_

Well… that's…

"_Yes. Moving on, thank you for taking care of Lucy… if you only knew what she's been through…"_

What has she been through? It has to be something bad, right?

"_Something bad, indeed. But that is for her to tell you when she's ready. The only reason I know is because our minds have been linked. And of course, I see her dreams…"_

Well, don't you sound like a stalker…

"_Oi, don't go pulling that into this! Its not my fault that I can feel her being terrified from her dreams! … oh crap… I think I said too much…"_

Wait, what do you mean she's terrified from her dreams?

"_It's nothing, Natsu-"_

Bull crap, its nothing!

"_NATSU! It is something _she_ must tell you when she's ready. I've already overstepped my bounds as it is. Take care of her Natsu. And one other thing."_

What's that?

"_Lucy and I are gonna whoop you and Groudon's butt when we all get revived."_

Hah! Like I'd ever let that happen!

Kyogre chuckled almost evilly. _"We shall see."_

His presence faded just as I made it to the hotel. Ralts helped me out by getting the hotel room key from my pocket – as I was otherwise preoccupied – and she opened the door for us.

I put Lucy on the bed farthest from the door, as I was set on the one closest – at least until everyone else arrived – but she wouldn't let go of my shirt…

I even tried tugging my way out of it, but when she groaned like she was beginning to wake up, I stopped trying to get free.

Slowly and carefully, I crawled onto the bed beside her. She was under the sheets, and I stayed on top of them, just in case Erza came in or anything like that.

But this seemed to satisfy Lucy because she snuggled up closer to me than I thought one could. As far as I could tell, every inch of her was touching me.

I was about to move away from her when she sighed in content.

Then I realized I probably wouldn't be able to move anyway without waking her up, so I wrapped my arms around her. And before I knew it, I was giving way to sleep.

_**xxXXxx**_

OMG! OMG! OMG! I AM SOOO SORRY! Before I knew it, a whole month-and-a-freaking-half went by and I was like "Ohmygosh, I haven't written a word for either of my stories!"

I feel horrible! Please forgive me!

I'd tell you the circumstances for this, but they are really just excuses… while they are _legitimate_ excuses, they are still excuses: my car broke so I had to get a new one, I got a new job, and I'm applying/been accepted/registering for college! Woo-hoo!

*Sigh* Basically what I'm saying is that I've been pressed for time, and I still am. So, hopefully, I will be updating sooner than this, but no promises, because apparently, I'm unable to keep them… Sorry folks!

Anyways, I hope you liked it, and if there were any errors, please let me know and I will fix because I didn't really check anything before I posted cuz I thought, "Why make you guys wait longer?"

Please review with criticism! Always helps… even the bad ones, unfortunately… -_-


	8. Wait, what just happened?

Before I begin this chapter I would like to inform my readers of a few things in case I totally forgot to mention, which I think I did actually forget…

-There is no 6 Pokémon limit. It's just annoying, and I'm able to customize the characters' team/Pokémon according to their personality better without that limit

-There _will_ be Mega-Evolution in this story, along with removing the 'one Pokémon per battle' limit on the mega-evolution, simply because: how the frick would a _bracelet_ know if and when a battle began/ended? So I just made the rules to be a little different is all. (More info will be included in the story when this happens)

-Pokémon levels do not apply (it just makes the story more complicated to explain)

* * *

_Chapter 8: Wait… what just happened?!_

_Lucy's POV_

When I woke up the next morning, man was I comfortable. The bed was soft and warm, and I felt so safe and secure in Natsu's arms…

Wait a minute… what?

Slowly opening my eyes, I found myself staring at his chest.

Steadily becoming more aware of my surroundings, I realized that he and I were _very_ close to one another. I was tucked into his neck, his arms were tightly wrapped around me – my own arms tucked between us – and our legs … if mine hadn't of been under the covers, they _would've_ been intertwined.

And that's when I heard the quiet giggle.

My heart started pounding as I stiffened.

I looked up slowly to see the gang all clustered by the door, watching us.

"How long have you guys been there…?" I asked hesitantly.

"Long enough," Gray said, stifling laughter.

I groaned and unknowingly tucked myself closer to Natsu who responded by pulling me tighter to him.

Slowly, Natsu woke up as well.

It took him a tad bit longer to realize the situation we were in.

The others – after making a few jokes like, "I didn't know you guys had progressed so much" or "They're getting cozy", they left the room.

I gulped.

Even though I was embarrassed… I didn't _want_ to move. I was too comfortable on the bed. And Natsu was _warm_.

However, like all good things, it came to an end.

Natsu got up off the bed and informed me he was going to get ready and take a shower.

I nodded and began getting ready myself. However, as soon as I flipped the covers back, I felt the cold air in the room and jumped back into the warmth left from the bed. I closed my eyes and stayed in a tight ball to keep as much of the warmth as possible until Natsu finally came out of the shower.

"What are you still doing in bed, lazy bones?"

My response – without opening my eyes – was, "Its warm."

I didn't hear anything from him for a few minutes – long enough that I had actually gone back to a light sleep, when the covers were suddenly yanked back.

Before I could utter a word though, I felt someone pick me up and carry me.

The warmth radiating from the person was so wonderful that I almost fell asleep again.

However, Natsu put me down in the bathroom, my feet on the rug in front of the shower with my bag by the wall. He quickly closed the door behind him as he left the room, and so I went into action. I took the fastest shower I could and got ready as fast as I was able.

By the time I finished, the steam still wasn't completely gone from the mirror.

I stepped out of the bathroom to find no one in the room.

I know I didn't take _that_ long to get ready. Besides it's only… what… nine in the morning?

Yeah, not even nine. They should be lucky I'm even awake.

"_They are waiting for you outside, Lucy."_ Kyogre chuckled.

Well then.

"_Are you planning to train today?"_

Yes, why?

"_I want to show you something. Once the others head for the gym, inform them you are going to train."_

Isn't that lying?

"_Not if what I want to show you involves your training."_

Oh, okay then.

I stepped outside to find all my friends waiting, true to Kyogre's word.

"We're going to the gym, Lucy-san!" Juvia said happily, "I'm going to challenge Roxanne and get my first gym badge, just like Gray-sama!"

I smiled at her enthusiasm. Everyone except Wendy and I agreed with the plan to go to the gym, as we both wanted to train.

The others nodded and went on their way as Wendy and I made our way to the forest.

"What are you going to do Lucy-san?"

"I don't know yet, Wendy. I know Ralts, Swablu, and I are going to have to train a lot to even have a chance though…"

"You'll do great!" Wendy said, beaming.

I smiled my thanks as she went her own way to train her Treeko and Feebas.

Okay… now what, Kyogre?

It was like I could feel him smile as he said, _"Just let the Blue Orb guide you. There's a small cabin in the forest I would like you to have a look at."_

Oh… okay.

So, I kind of just let my mind wander as I walked through the woods. I had no clue where I was going, but my legs did!

It wasn't even fifteen minutes later that I found an abandoned cabin.

"_Go and see what's inside, Lucy."_

Trusting Kyogre, I opened the creaky old door to see a dusty table with an equally dusty Pokéball on it.

My eyebrow rose in curiosity as I approached the table.

"_Open the Pokéball, Lucy."_

I gulped.

Grabbed the ball.

And opened it.

In a bright white light, a Pokémon was released.

It was a white and gold Pokémon I hadn't ever seen before. So, like any new trainer, I pulled out my Pokédex and it came to life.

"Beldum, the Iron Ball Pokémon. Beldum keeps itself floating by generating a magnetic force that repels earth's natural magnetism. When it sleeps, this Pokémon anchors itself to a cliff using the hooks on its rear."

But the Pokémon in the picture is blue and silver…

"_This Beldum is a Shiny, Lucy. Beldum alone is a very rare Pokémon, but a Shiny…? Ultra rare… as rare as… well, myself."_

Whoa.

Kyogre chuckled. _"I believe Beldum is just what you need to defeat Roxanne with ease. However, he is very weak. And… as with myself, Beldum is too rare for humans to know the gender. This Beldum happens to be male. Raise him and he will be an unbeatable force to be reckoned with… remind you of anyone…?"_

I laughed out loud.

Kyogre's presence faded as I did my best to befriend the Beldum.

He seemed happy to see another face and to be released from his ball.

Once he and I were acquainted, I released Ralts and Swablu to meet the first male Pokémon of the team. They seemed happy enough with the new member, and so we began our training.

I didn't go looking for trainers, because Beldum was too rare to be seen often in public, so we sought out wild Pokémon.

It wasn't until later that day – almost to the evening – that we stopped our training. All of my Pokémon were stronger, and we had a few strategies picked out to go against Roxanne. Many of them left Beldum out, but only because I didn't want to reveal him too soon.

As I made my way back to the city, my three Pokémon tucked safely in their balls, I saw my friends just as Wendy defeats Roxanne with her new Grovyle.

Huh. Guess she let Treeko evolve when they trained.

I snuck up behind my friends, pulled out my Pokédex, and trained it on Wendy's Grovyle.

"Grovyle, the Wood Gecko Pokémon. This Pokémon adeptly flies from branch to branch in trees. In a forest, no Pokémon can ever hope to catch a fleeing Grovyle, however fast they may be."

This startled everyone and they turned to look at me. I waved sheepishly as I put the Pokédex away.

"Lucy-san! Did you see?! We won!" Wendy said as she ran to me and hugged me.

"I saw the last move. That was a nice Leaf Blade, Grovyle!"

Grovyle replied cheerily as Wendy turned and hugged Grovyle, who in turn returned her hug.

I turned to Roxanne who had just had her Pokémon healed after handing Wendy her badge.

"Are you ready now?" Roxanne asked me.

"Yeah… I think so…"

"Good. Let's see what you can do!"

Roxanne sent out her Geodude.

I chose Ralts.

We decided earlier to fake everyone out and have Ralts and I act like we were nervous. I gulped audibly, while Ralts shivered.

"Are you sure you're ready?" Roxanne asked me.

"Uh-huh."

"Well, if you say so-"

"Ralts, Magical Leaf!"

Ralts' eyes glowed, and as she lifted her arms leaves magically appeared at her side. Before Roxanne or her Pokémon could do anything, the leaves plowed through Geodude, leaving it barely standing.

"Lucy-san! Both of her Pokémon have an ability that negates one hit knock outs!" Juvia yelled my direction.

Great. _Both_ of them have that stupid ability. Ah, well. There went the first strategy. On to the next!

"Geodude, use Rock Tomb!"

"**Geo!"**

"Ralts, follow up with Confusion!"

Thanks to the powerful hit from Magical Leaf, Confusion was all that was needed to take out her Geodude – but not before Geodude's Rock Tomb attack got Ralts.

After withdrawing the Geodude, Roxanne sent out Nosepass.

Oh. Crap.

"_Magical Leaf won't do enough damage to a Nosepass, Lucy…"_ Ralts told me tiredly.

I know! Oh crap, I really didn't want to _have_ to bring Beldum out!

"_Eek! You might need to! This thing is giving me the actual creeps!_

Okay, okay, get back here then!

"_You don't need to tell me twice!"_ she said as she ran to my side.

"Where's your Ralts going? I thought this party was just getting started!" Roxanne said almost wickedly, but with that innocence she carried with her.

"Luce, what are you doing?! You and Ralts can do this!"

I looked over at Natsu. He believed in me. Why was I having such a problem?

"_It's a side ability of the Nosepass."_ Kyogre said. _"It releases a charge of some type that confuses and scares opponents. You have no choice but to send out Beldum. Being a magnetic type of Pokémon itself, it can withstand Nosepass's hidden ability."_

I guess I really don't have a choice… well, here goes nothing!

"Go, Beldum!"

"**Belll-dum!"**

The Shiny Pokémon floated in the air, awaiting my instructions.

"Huh? I thought you said you only had your Ralts and Swablu?" Roxanne questioned.

I shrugged nervously, and then carried on with the battle. _Telepathically_.

Beldum, Iron Defense!

"_Aye!"_

"**Bel-dum!" **he said as he was coated in a metallic sheen.

"Are you not in control of your Pokémon?" Roxanne asked.

"Impossible…" I heard Jellal gasp behind me in shock.

Iron Head!

"**Bel-DUM!" **the metallic sheen gathered and strengthened around Beldum's head as he charged at the Nosepass.

"What?!" Roxanne almost screeched

Nosepass took a serious hit from that attack, so much so that it too, was having a problem standing.

Now, finish it off with Zen Headbutt!

Beldum grunted as he charged his attack, an aura of some kind surrounding his head like the metal from before.

He released it and charged.

Beldum hit Nosepass square on.

Nosepass fainted.

We… won.

WE WON!

About to bend to pick up Ralts, I notice… she'd begun to glow. Looking at Beldum… so is he… are they…?

Both of the glows brighten intensely, and then suddenly vanish.

Ralts evolved into Kirlia.

Beldum evolved into Metang.

Holy. Crap.

I suddenly squealed as I hugged Kirlia and attempted to hug Metang.

The others – Jellal especially – stare at me and my newly evolved Pokémon.

Still in shock, Roxanne hands me the gym badge.

"But.. how…?" she asks me.

"Well… Beldum – I mean Metang – is a Psychic type. It seems me and Psychic types get along real well, so we communicated telepathically."

Her eyes widened. But then she shook her head as if to clear her thoughts and smiled at me.

"Well, I hope that when you get stronger, you'll come back here for a rematch."

I giggled as I said, "Count on it!"

Our big group of friends walked away, admiring the new badges we possessed. But before we even left the street the gym is on, a Team Aqua grunt sprints in front of us – nearly running into us – as he yells, "Outta the way! Move it!"

Following him a second or two later is the researcher from before.

"Wait, please! Don't take those parts!"

We all run to the Center to heal our Pokémon, then quickly head for the city limits where the researcher is huffing and puffing for breath.

"Thank goodness… it's just… you guys… please, help me… that Team Aqua… whew… took parts for… Captain Stern…"

Without a word of confirmation, we all began running for the Team Aqua grunt.

As it turns out, the grunt led us to the campout for the closest Team Aqua 'base of operations'.

Erza decided to take down all of the grunts in teams. Her and Jellal on one team, Gray and Juvia on the second team, and Natsu and I on the last team. Wendy was to scope and look for the parts and anything else the grunts might've stolen.

There were at least fifteen grunts, if not more at this small campsite. Erza and Jellal defeated three of them, and then defended Wendy as a few noticed her and tried to attack her with her back turned.

Gray and Juvia took out two and are working on their third and fourth grunt.

Natsu and I became an unstoppable team – him using Torkoal and me using Swablu. Torkoal's defensive moves protect both her and Swablu, while Swablu's moves slow down the opponents, allowing Torkoal to then blast powerful attacks. If these attacks weren't enough – which only happened once with a Golbat – Swablu uses Sing to put the opponent to sleep, rendering it immobile and allowing Torkoal to make a finishing move.

This happened with zero communication between us, as we both assumed this would be the best strategy.

And it was successful. Swablu and Torkoal together took out more than half the grunts and their Pokémon while Juvia began to help Wendy go through the items and Gray, Erza, and Jellal defended them.

By the time Natsu and I are done – our Pokémon exhausted – the others discovered stolen Pokémon, stolen documents, stolen merchandise, and the stolen parts for Captain Stern.

"Maybe we should leave everything else here," I suggest to them as everyone began grabbing what they could carry.

"Why? People are missing their Pokémon because of these guys," Gray said almost angrily.

"Exactly. We don't know where or when these Pokémon were stolen, and it would help put these guys away longer. Law enforcement will have an easier time of it than we will… don't you think?"

Reluctantly, everyone agreed, and so we began the trek back to the city. There, the researcher greeted us and happily asked us to follow him to the Devon building …after telling the local law enforcement about the campsite, that is.

We all follow him to the top floor of the Devon Corporation, where the President sits at his desk, patiently waiting for us to gather in front of him.

"I'm Mr. Stone, President of the Devon Corporation. I heard just now we have quite a bit to thank you all for. You've helped my staff not just once, but twice! I have a favor I'd like to ask all of you. Now, I'd like you to know, I'm a president you can trust. I'd never be so mean as to ask a favor for nothing in return. I'd like you all to take these with you on your journey," he says as he gestures to the corner of the room where many small devices lay neatly on a table.

"Those are what's called Experience Shares. It's a device that allows all of your Pokémon to gain experience from the battle, not just ones you've battled with. This will help your Pokémon become stronger! Now, let me get to the important issue of what it is I would like you all to do… I want you to deliver this letter to a man named Steven. You should find him in Dewford," Mr. Stone said as he handed the letter to Jellal – only because he was the closest to the desk. "You'll have to cross the sea to reach Dewford, of course. Use my private vessel, operated by a friend of mine – Mr. Briney, to get you across. I'll inform him you'll be headed his way… tomorrow?"

We all nod in agreement.

"Well, I believe this covers everything! Oh, pardon me, but could you also deliver those parts to Captain Stern in Slateport City? It will be safer in the hands of such capable trainers as yourselves."

"Of course, sir," Erza told the president.

With that, we walked out of the Devon building and headed for the hotel.

It was such a long day, I could feel the exhaustion rolling off me and everyone else in waves.

After I made it to my room, I was about to start getting ready for bed when I heard a knock at my door.

I was a bit hesitant until Kyogre said, _"It's only Natsu and Wendy. I thank you for being cautious though."_

I smiled at Kyogre's comment, then pulled the door wide open.

"Hi Lucy-san!" Wendy said tiredly.

Natsu didn't say anything as I let them inside. But when they sat down was different.

"So… how did you come across Beldum?" Natsu asked as he situated himself on the small couch.

"That's what I wanted to know as well. I've heard Beldums are super rare in themselves, and for you to find a Shiny one… that's super difficult Lucy-san."

"W-well-"

"Don't lie," Natsu said.

"What?"

"Whenever you're nervous – or about to lie – you stutter."

My eyes widened. How the heck did he know that? Levy has never figured that out, and we've been best friends for a few years now. I haven't even known Natsu a _week_, and he already knows?

"_Just tell them. He's got you cornered with that statement, anyways. And he's right you know. You've really gotta work on that stutter."_

Oh, shut it.

Kyogre chuckled as his presence faded once again.

I guess Wendy and Natsu had gotten used to Kyogre's sudden appearance and equally sudden disappearance in my thoughts, because they were patiently waiting for my answer.

I sighed, then began by telling them how Kyogre led me to an abandoned cabin near the edge of the forest limits.

As I finished telling them the story, I released my Pokémon from their balls, Metang happily laying on the spare bed, making it creak with his weight as he fell asleep.

I giggled at the sight, noticing Wendy and Natsu both looking at Metang as well.

"Would you like to meet him?" I asked.

Wendy nodded enthusiastically, while Natsu nodded… well, normally.

Metang woke up as I pried at his thoughts. Blinking a few times, he lifted himself off the bed and floated over to Wendy and Natsu.

Wendy was very shy about it, slowly putting her hand out to touch Metang, while Natsu patiently waited for Wendy so as not to scare the poor girl.

"_I like this girl! She's gentle!"_

I giggled out loud again, unknowingly drawing Natsu's attention.

"You can telepathically speak with Metang too, can't you?"

I nodded.

"How are you able to do that so easily? Jellal is baffled and confused on how you're able to do it so quickly. He actually told me that people meditate for _years_ and still are unable to speak telepathically with their Pokémon."

"Maybe it has something to do with the Blue Orb, Natsu-nii…"

"What do you mean?" Natsu asked his little sister, a bit confused.

Is that true, Kyogre?

"_Not entirely. The bluenette is on the right track though. The Blue Orb simply made it easier for you to connect with your Pokémon. After that… it's the bond you hold with them that makes it come so quickly and easily."_

I see… should I tell them this?

"_I don't see why not."_

So, I told them what Kyogre told me.

"Man, why does everything _awesome_ that happens, revolve around you and your connection to the Blue Orb?" Natsu exclaimed.

Wendy and I laughed at his question, and of course the look on his face as he said it.

"Seriously though, I don't know about you guys, but I haven't had a single dream or inkling about the Red Orb since Lucy's connection to the Blue Orb. So… how are we supposed to link to it if we don't have the opportunity to?!"

Wendy's eyebrows scrunched as she pondered the question, while my head tilted to the side a bit, also wondering why I haven't had a dream that involved Kyogre.

"_For you, the dreams are no longer necessary. For Groudon and Rayquaza, they must gather enough energy to give another dream."_

Well that… sucks…

I again told Wendy and Natsu what Kyogre told me.

"What?! Oh, come on, that sucks!" Natsu said as he collapsed on the bed Metang had vacated moments earlier.

Sighing, Wendy said her goodnights and left the room.

Natsu got up and said his goodnights as well, but I stopped him before his hand even touched the handle.

"Wait," I said. He turned to look back at me, question in his eyes.

"Please stay."

His eyebrows furrowed, but he nodded anyway and lay back down on the bed.

"Thank you…" I whispered. I didn't want to admit it, but even as Natsu had left the bed that I _wasn't_ sitting on, his warmth faded and I grew cold.

I didn't think he'd hear me, but I guess he did, cause he said, "No problem."

A few minutes later, Natsu released his Pokémon from their balls, allowing them to roam around the hotel room freely.

Our Pokémon mingled together, falling asleep on the bed and on the floor after the exhausting day.

Kirlia climbed into the bed with me after I had gone to the bathroom to change into my pajamas. Letting the covers fall over both of us, I quickly fell asleep.

* * *

_Natsu's POV_

I was simply laying in my bed, wondering why I couldn't fall asleep when I was exhausted only moments ago when a voice popped into my head.

"_Natsu, get your lazy butt over here."_

What?

"_Natsu!"_

Yeesh, I'm comin' Kirlia, what's the big deal anyways?

"_Lucy is flipping cold and she won't stop shivering!"_

And you want me to do what exactly…?

"_Get. In the bed. NOW."_

My eyes widened as I quickly made my way over to where Lucy was, surprised to see the covers pulled back.

"_The quickest way to warm her is through direct contact,"_ Kirlia explained as she motioned to get in the bed.

I don't think that's such a good idea… I'll get a good Lucy Kick to the gut tomorrow morning…

"_Or you'll get a Magical Leaf to the_ _face _right now_ if you don't get in the freaking bed, Natsu."_

Oh, come on! Really? You're gonna give me that kind of choice?

"_Just get in the bed before I force you in."_

I quickly jumped into the bed, momentarily shocked at just how cold Lucy was. I mean she's an _ice cube_.

* * *

_Kirlia's POV_

I watched as Natsu's arms wrapped protectively around Lucy, who instantly sought out the warmth he was providing.

Her face went from tense and scrunched to relaxed and content in seconds as his warmth enveloped her.

I looked to Natsu's face to see he had fallen asleep almost instantly after climbing into the bed with Lucy.

Huh. Strange. Insomnia unless he's with Lucy… and Lucy freezing cold while sleeping unless she's with Natsu…

I'm beyond confused…

"_Its their bond beginning to form, Kirlia." _Metang said as he entered my thoughts, "_I saw it a few times, before I was sealed in that cabin. It was a rare bond that few experience in their lifetime back then, and it seems its almost nonexistent now."_

"_So… you mean…?"_

"_Yep. They're soul mates."_

* * *

_**xxXXxx**_

I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Inspiration _FINALLY _struck hard for both this story, and my other story 'Dragon Slayers', so I should be posting a wee bit more frequently… at least until college starts, that is…

Also, the only reason why this gym battle went so smoothly is because 1) Lucy had two awesome Pokémon under her belt. 2) It's the first gym battle, its _supposed_ to be easy. And 3) Roxanne has always been the easiest gym leader for me in the games. So yeah… there you have it.

I hope you guys liked it! Took me all day and then some to write/edit!

And if you guys have any comments about how to make the battle scenes better, please tell me! I specifically made this one short and sweet, since the rest of the chapter was so long, but if you have ideas/advice, I'm open to it!

Have a good night/day!


	9. Just keep swimmin, just keep swimmin!

Hey all! New installment of _A Pokémon Fairy Tail! _There is no gym battle in this chapter, maybe the next one and if not it will definitely be in the one after it!

Warning now! There is slight cussing in this chapter! I just couldn't see Natsu saying something like, "Oh jelly beans!" It just doesn't fit him, you know?

… Forgive me for the name of the chapter… I couldn't help it…

_Chapter 9: Just keep swimmin', just keep swimmin'!_

_Natsu's POV_

Thankfully, I was the first to wake that morning. But man, that was some of the best sleep I've had in a long time. Have I mentioned I'm an insomniac? Well, I am. And these past couple of days have given me the best sleep in years!

I looked over to the blonde who was more than likely the reason for my sudden ability to sleep. She was still asleep, curled in a ball on her side, tucked into me. Basically what we looked like was a Hollywood morning for newly-wed couples.

I got up from bed as quiet as I could to find my Pokémon and Lucy's in a type of barrier around the bed.

Guess we forgot to put everyone away last night… whoops…

Normally, it wouldn't be such a big deal… but this particular hotel… well, they don't like the Pokémon out by themselves at night. Especially evolved ones. They believe that because the Pokémon can do more damage, it means they have less control. What a bunch of lunatics-

"Natsu?"

Oh. Shit. I turned my body to look at her. She was sleepy eyed and looked like all she wanted to do was sleep some more.

"Y-yeah, Luce?"

"What are you doing on my bed again?" she asked me, waking up some more.

"U-um, w-well, you see… there's a perfect explanation for that… um-"

"Natsu…"

Every alarm was blaring in my head to think of something quickly. But I couldn't think of anything that wouldn't get her angry with me!

Then I heard a chuckle in my head. It wasn't Groudon, and it wasn't Kirlia…

"_Leave it to us to explain, Natsu. She might take it better. And it would definitely be better than whatever lie you were cooking up."_

Oh… um, alright… who are you?

"_Lucy's Metang, you dolt!"_

Yeesh! Sorry! It's not every day that… oh... never mind… it kind of is every day for the two of us…

I felt him sigh, then his presence faded. Almost immediately after, I saw Lucy look at Metang. Then her cheeks turned a pink color. Then scarlet. Then it was the rest of her face… good lord, what was he telling her?!

"Natsu…?"

Oh no… I can't tell if she's angry or not! Gah!

"Y-yes?"

"Thanks… for you know… keeping me warm last night…"

"Oh, yeah… no problem!" I said, giving her my trademark grin. In return, she smiled a heartfelt smile for my eyes only.

Wait… when did I start thinking like that?

Shaking the thoughts from my head, I began to get ready, but I noticed Lucy wasn't moving.

"There's no warm shower to save you now, Luce. You just gotta face the cold."

"Easy for you to say! You're your own freaking heater!"

I chuckled at her, then grabbed her bag and set it next to her. She gave me a questioning look as I said, "Pick out the clothes your gonna wear, then stick them under the covers. They'll heat up, and you won't have to worry about changing into cold clothes."

Her eyes widened, then she said, "Why have I never thought of that before?!"

Lucy quickly dug into her bag, grabbing the clothes she was going to wear for the day. I noticed she grabbed some pretty short shorts.

"Hey Luce."

"Yeah?" She didn't look up.

"You know we're going on a boat today, right?"

"Yeah?"

"And… it's on the water…"

"Your point is…?"

"You're gonna freeze to death in those shorts from the air alone, not including the sea spray that'll get you wet within the hour. It won't help that we're going on a speed boat."

Then she looked at me.

"And you decided that now would be a good time to mention that?"

"Well, sorry, I thought you knew about the sea spray and the cold air-"

"Not that part, the _speed boat_ part. Nobody told me anything about a speed boat."

"Well… you must not've been paying attention then. Because after we left the building, Erza and Jellal went to check what kind of boat."

"Again. Nobody told me."

My eyebrow rose. Oh crap… I was supposed to tell her… whoops…

"Well… better you know now than when we're already on the boat, right?"

Lucy shrugged, then pulled out her jeans, a jacket, and a short sleeve v-neck, and put the other items back.

After a few minutes, Lucy got dressed under the covers. When she pulled them back, she was fully dressed with only her boots left needing to be put on. I don't know how she does it, but whatever she wears, she wears those boots. Hell, she could probably wear a fancy dress and still be able to pull off wearing those boots.

Where are my thoughts going now?!

I once again shook my head to clear my thoughts.

After withdrawing our Pokémon, we made our way to the lobby and checked out of the hotel with the others.

Our gang made our way towards the pier, where Mr. Stone's private speed boat was waiting for us.

"You must be the lot Mr. Stone was talking about!" said an older man with a Wingull on his shoulder.

Erza was the first to respond.

"Yes. You must be Mr. Briney."

"Aye! So, you all are headed for Dewford Town, eh? Well then, let's get going, shall we?"

Everyone nodded. We piled onto the boat and… oh lord… the – gulp – rocking…

_Lucy's POV_

As we made our way onboard, I heard something that sounded a lot like someone preventing themselves from puking.

I turned around to find that Natsu was on the ground, his hand over his mouth, his face a sickly green.

"Oh boy… this is going to make things difficult…" I said as everyone put their items below deck.

"What's this?" Erza asked as she came back on board.

Then I heard a squeak, and suddenly Wendy rushed past everyone, myself included, and stopped next to her brother.

"Sorry everyone! I can't believe I forgot!"

"Wendy… what's wrong with Natsu?"

"Heh… he um… he has motion sickness."

My eyes widened as my jaw dropped. I'm pretty sure everyone else except Gray had the same reaction. Why? Because Gray was the only one laughing his head off.

"Flame-brain's weakness is … transportation?!" He said, while trying to contain his laughter.

It seemed even at the mention of the word itself, Natsu's condition worsened.

Then an idea popped into my head.

"Hey Wendy?"

"Hm?"

"You said he has motion sickness, right?"

"Mm-hmm. Why?"

"Well… what if we eliminated the _motion_?"

Her eyebrows scrunched together in thought.

"…I've never really tried it… but yeah… it should work. Why? What did you have in mind?"

"Well… I've got two newly evolved Psychic types. Do you think they could just levitate him? Even if only for a few minutes? Just to see if it would work?"

"Maybe… yeah! Let's give it a shot!"

I nodded, then released Kirlia and Metang. Thankfully, Metang automatically levitated himself or else… he _may_ have sunken the small boat, at the very least the back end.

My Pokémon read the situation through my mind, and both immediately began levitating Natsu. It was having the desired effect almost immediately. The green vanished, and soon so was the paleness. Within two minutes, Natsu was back.

"Huh…? How am I… what?"

Wendy explained it to him.

"Really?! How cool! Can I move around?"

"I don't suggest it-"

But he was already moving around. Kirlia and Metang were pretty good though. I guess they had connected to him in his mind or something, because they seemed to know his every move-

Wait…

They can read someone else's mind?

"_They can read everyone's mind,"_ Kyogre told me._ "It's just the bond that allows you to communicate with them"_

Oh okay… so, we could use that in battle?

"_Not exactly. Unless they'd already met your opponent previously, then they could."_

Oh, I see. So… you and I can only communicate with each other?

"_Again, not exactly."_

Well, now I'm confused…

"_Remember the night Roxanne made you… remember things?"_

Of course.

"_When Natsu carried you, your bond to each other is strong enough that, if he's touching you, I can communicate with him."_

Really? So… when Natsu fuses with the Red Orb… will I be able to do that with Groudon?

"_Most likely, yes. It depends on whether Groudon things you worthy. And if he doesn't, I'll grind him into the dust."_

I smiled. It felt good to be protected like that.

"_Get used to it, Lucy. All of your Pokémon feel this for you."_

I couldn't help but smile wider.

"What's with the smile, weirdo?" I heard Natsu ask.

His question brought me out of my thoughts. Before I could even think about a response I said, "J-just happy to be really starting our journey, you know?"

Natsu's eyebrow rose.

Then it dawned on me. I freaking stuttered.

Before either of us could say anything, Erza said, "Speaking of which, we should head on our way. We have many things to do in the next few days."

"Ayeaye, cap'n! Peeko! We're setting sail my darling!"

Peeko? Who's-

The Wingull squawked in response.

He calls his Wingull Peeko?

… Well, I'm not judging or anything… that's just… different, is all…

After we were off, Natsu 'pulled me aside'. More like my Pokémon got the two of us alone near the rear of the boat.

"You gonna tell me what you actually meant?"

"Yeah… but it involved _you know who_, so it wasn't like I could just say it out in the open, you know?"

He nodded, then waited. Man he was serious. And it was only because I smiled? The heck?

So I decided to be a little mean. Just a little.

"Kyogre said he would kick Groudon's butt for me if he didn't accept me."

"Wait, what? That's what you were smiling about?" he was shocked.

I smiled wide. "Uh-huh. Didn't you know? Most girls like it when a strong, handsome male protects them from danger," I said with a big – probably silly – grin on my face.

His eyes went wide. Then he said, "Well… Kyogre doesn't need to worry about a thing."

My grin faded.

"Groudon accepted you awhile ago. Probably before Kyogre did."

"_Oho… now the boy is challenging me?"_

"How can you be sure?" I asked him, somewhat ignoring Kyogre.

"Well… he accepted you the first time we touched after the three of us made the bond."

"_HA! I accepted him the first time you saw him after we bonded, Lucy. You know why?"_

Why?

"_Because you trusted him whole-heartedly, even if you had just met him."_

"You're wrong," I said, my head bowed.

"Hm?"

"Kyogre trusted you the moment we both laid eyes on you. That morning after the fusion dream? That's when Kyogre accepted you."

"Really…?"

I nodded.

"How did he accept me so fast?"

"W-well… it might've had s-something to do with me trusting you after we met…"

I could feel the heat going straight to my cheeks. For the second time today, no less. And both times involved Natsu. What the heck.

And my blush grew worse when Natsu pulled me in for a hug. Man, was he warm! The sea spray combined with my wet hair whipping around my face made me cold, but Natsu was like a warm blanket.

"Jeez, Luce, you're freezing. A lot like last night."

"Yeah… thanks again…"

"No problem."

We stood like that for a while, I was soaking up Natsu's warmth – with Kyogre's input every now and then – with Natsu holding me oh so tight.

"Thanks," he said.

"For what?" I asked, my head still against his chest.

"For trusting me. That's one of the nicest things anyone's ever said to me."

I smiled as I said, "No problem."

_**xxXXxx**_

Alrighty then! Another chapter down! And I got this one written in a single day! Right before college…! Yeah…!

*head slams against desk in misery*

I will try to update when I can, everyone! Please leave a review for me! It's kind of discouraging if I don't get anything, and it takes me a bit longer to post a chapter – completely unintentional, I swear, it's just me, really.


	10. Is this cave made of actual Granite?

A couple of things before I begin:

\- I would like to thank all of you who reviewed and follow/favorite this story.

**Whatstoknow**: It's kinda _sorta_ following the gameplay, but not. Kind of just a guideline, since the 'main character' never actually says anything, I just tweaked a few things and added a little flare of my own to it. And hey, also, thanks for sticking with me! I may not respond to reviewers all the time, but I most certainly read them!

**KtKatana**: I will do my best to describe them! A lot of the time, I'm under the impression that everyone knows who and what I'm talking about. Thank you for telling me, and I will try hard to fulfill!

-Do you guys want me to respond to reviews? If so, at the top or bottom?

On with the story!

**Chapter 10: Is this Cave made of actual Granite?**

It took until about mid-afternoon to get to Dewford. Natsu was happy to be off the boat, of course, the rest of us laughing at his antics.

Before we got very far off the poor excuse of a dock, however, Mr. Briney called out to us.

"You'd best be findin' Steven around Granite Cave. The locals can poin' ya' in the right direction."

"Thanks, Mr. Briney!" we called back to him, waving a quick goodbye as we headed for the cave.

After doing a little shopping at a small hole-in-the-wall store, we began our trek to the cave.

…

It was surprisingly short.

It took us a little over an hour to get there, maybe less.

When we got to the looming entrance, a hiker came out huffing.

"You kids planning on exploring the cave?"

"Yes," Erza answered, "Do you know where we might find-"

"If you're looking for a fellow named Steven, he's in there. But, he's in a deeper part of the cave. You're gonna need some Pokémon that can light up your path."

Without a word, Natsu released his Torkoal, while Gray released his Electirke.

"I suppose they'll do. Well, be safe kids."

With that, the hiker took off towards the town. When he was out of eye and earshot, I released Metang.

"Why didn't you release him sooner?" Wendy asked me as the others began walking ahead, leaving Wendy, Natsu, and I.

"Metang is an extremely rare Pokémon remember? I don't know who we can trust."

Natsu began, "He seemed nice enough-"

"Let me rephrase," I said, cutting him off, "_Kyogre_ doesn't want me to trust easily. He said that the sleeping curse or spell or whatever from before in the Center was specifically directed at me. If I hadn't been fused with the Blue Orb… I would never have woken up."

They didn't say anything else. I don't know if it was from my outburst, or because we were catching up to the others, or even if I proved my point. Either way, they didn't bring it up.

Are you ready, Metang?

"_Of course I'm ready. What do you take me for? If I wanted to, I could light up the whole cave. But of course, we don't want to disturb the many Pokémon in the cave. It'd be like an ambush… not pretty."_

I laughed. Probably out loud, but everyone had thankfully gotten used to my sudden and strange outbursts by now.

We made our way into the cave, Natsu's Torkoal, Gray's Elektrike, and Metang lightly lighting their bodies to brighten the path.

The cave was deceivingly large, seeming to extend higher than the clouds inside, as the ceiling was still coated in darkness.

We kept walking, hoping to get to the end of the cave – where the Hiker said Steven was going to be – without awakening too many Pokémon. We actually came up upon a whole group of Makuhita, but they ran off after they saw Metang.

"_Humph. Wimps."_

I laughed again.

"What did he say this time?" Erza asked.

"He called them wimps."

The others smiled, but didn't laugh like I did. I thought it was pretty funny. Maybe I have a different sense of humor than they do?

"_I'm not so sure. They laugh with all of your other jokes… hm… they are… actually, _jealous_ of you…"_

"What?" I said, accidentally out-loud.

"What, what?" Gray asked.

"Um… nothing!" I said, proud of myself for not stuttering.

Somehow, they believed me, all except Natsu, who gave me his usual 'you'll tell me later whether you like it or not' look while the others headed forward again.

When everyone's back turned to me except Natsu's, I gave him a slight nod. Seeming satisfied, he turned back around.

Still standing there with Metang, we slowly got left behind.

"_Why are we still here, Lucy? We need to find Steven, correct?"_

Yes. But… I don't want them to be jealous of all things. What are they even jealous _of_?

"_Our connection. Your connection with Kyogre and Kirlia. Jellal has the hardest time. He's been a Psychic trainer since he was four, and he can only have small conversations with his first Psychic Pokémon, Kadabra, that he received as an Abra."_

I sighed.

Where is Steven, Metang? I know you can locate people pretty easily.

"_I'm surprised you know that. But he is where the Hiker said he was, but in a hidden portion. There's a small entrance in the corner of the cave. He'll be in there."_

I nodded, and we continued towards the back of the cave. Eventually, we got there, the others looking around – whether it is for me or Steven I'm not certain.

"There you are, Luce!"

"Huh? What do you mean, 'there she is'?" Jellal asked, confused. "She's been here the whole time, right?" The others – besides Natsu – were equally confused. Even Wendy was confused.

"No, I haven't. I never followed you guys after we stopped."

"Well, then how'd you find us?" Gray asked.

"How do you _think_, popsicle?" I said menacingly. I don't know where it came from. But I was very upset and angry no one had noticed I hadn't followed. Maybe it came from there?

"Lucy… you need to calm down…" Natsu said.

"And why should I?" I said, my anger only cooling slightly when I spoke to him.

"Because you're starting to glow."

My eyebrows flew to my forehead, my anger nearly vanishing. When I looked at my body, sure enough, white, red, and deep blue lines were flowing from my center, reaching my arms, legs and toes.

My anger flared again as I yelled out, "Damn it!"

My legs buckled. Why? No clue. Too much emotion? The toll the Blue Orb's power was taking on my body?

Whatever it was, I was still falling to the ground, and quickly. Before anyone could react, my body was overcome with a familiar and comforting presence – blocking out anyone and anything else.

"_I'm sorry Lucy. I should've warned you."_

What? That if I'm pissed off I'll suddenly start glowing?

"_Any extreme emotion and the colors of my current form will appear on your body. Fear, excitement, anger… even love. It's one of the side effects of the Orb. It's not particularly dangerous. But as you can see… it is a bit annoying."_

A bit? A bit?!

"_Easy Lucy. If you get too angry, you won't stop glowing for hours."_

Ugh…

I took a deep calming breath – at least, I tried to. Apparently, while Kyogre and I were conversing, Metang had caught me with his powers, and refused to let anyone see me. So as my anger faded, I told him:

It's okay Metang. Kyogre and I are done.

He nodded in the way only Metang could, then moved aside. The lines across my body were gone, along with it the unreasonable anger. All I felt then was exhaustion.

"Is she okay?" I heard an unfamiliar voice ask.

"Yeah, she's fine. Just a little tired is all. We've been traveling all day," said Gray, sounding as though he were sweating bullets.

"Is that… a Metang? I haven't seen one of those since… well, my own!"

Huh?

I quickly got up, regretting it instantly thanks to the head rush, then looked where the mysterious voice was coming from.

"Who are you?" I asked him.

He looked taken aback for a moment, as did the others.

"What? Did I miss something?" I was confused. Who was this guy? He had strangely light blue hair – lighter than Levy's that's for sure. Almost a sky blue. He was wearing a very fancy suit as well, with some strange pin and even fancier cuff links. Despite being in a dark and dirty cave, he looked spotless.

"Luce… this is Steven," Natsu began. "He's… well, he's the Hoenn League Champion."

Ch-champion?

Ignoring my bewildered expression, Wendy reminded everyone, "She just moved here from the Johto region, remember? Just like we don't know who the Champion is there, Lucy doesn't know who the Champion is here."

This made everyone relax, including Steven.

"I have something I would like to show all of you. Please, follow me."

Steven led our little group to the small hole in the wall Metang mentioned earlier. The small hole was very deceiving as to what lay beyond it. Inside, there were many different cave paintings. One struck me as familiar.

"Kyogre…" I barely whispered as I stared at the massive mural on the right side of the cave. After tearing my gaze away from the jaw-dropping painting, I looked to where my friends were. They were looking at the other side, staring at what I had to guess was Groudon's Primal form.

"_Of course, you are correct Lucy. Something you must know, however, is a very dangerous fact that seems to repeat itself."_

And what's that?

"_You already know that every thousand years, Groudon and I awaken. What is not said, however, is that we are awoken by a human seeking power each time. I fear this time around… it will be far worse than the others."_

But why?

"_The other times, the Blue and Red Orbs were kept safely in their place. I believe that, this time, these people will find the Orbs and use the power for their own purposes. Perhaps… even start a battle between the Primal versions of Groudon and I."_

I gasped.

Then I noticed I gasped _out loud_. The others were looking at me questioningly. Apparently Steven was telling us what he knew of the two legendaries. And of course I gasped at a very strange part.

"I-I nearly tripped. Sorry,"

The others bought it of course. But when I looked to Natsu, he once again had the look. I gave a small nod in response.

He gave an equally small nod back and looked to Steven.

Was Groudon not telling Natsu about the past?

"_No. Even in this sacred place, Groudon is not strong enough with Natsu to speak here. Makes you feel good, doesn't it?"_

Maybe just a little bit.

"_Liar."_

Yeah, yeah.

Kyogre chuckled, the continued with his story.

"_When this wall was drawn, it was just after the second time Groudon and I were awoken. They realized that, after the first time it happened, it must happen in a pattern. History repeating itself. Perhaps after this time… you and your friends can prevent it from happening in the next thousands of years."_

I sure hope so. Looking at these paintings… you actually look really scary. Is that sharp teeth that I see?

"_What did you expect? I have to eat you know, just like any other Pokémon." _

I shuddered.

Again, Kyogre chuckled, and then said, _"In that painting, it showed what happened when I was being controlled. What no one sees, is the man behind the Pokémon, making Groudon and I do things we would never do if we were in control of our power. While we did originally fight for power, we have both realized that there is more than enough power in the world for both of us. Now-"_

"Luce?"

"Huh?" I said, having been jerked out of my conversation with Kyogre.

"Steven asked you a question."

"Oh. Sorry, what were you saying?"

"I was just asking if you were interested in the great Legendary Pokémon, Kyogre."

"Oh. Kind of."

"_Harsh."_

I did my best to hide my smile as I continued, "Kyogre is pretty cool and all, though. I mean, really. What big teeth he has!" I said as I pointed to the drawing.

"What makes you say Kyogre is a he?" Steven said while he walked to my side of the cave to stand next to me.

Uh-oh. Think, think, think!

"I-I don't know. Something about the painting, I guess."

"Yes. I feel it, too. Some strange presence is here now. Powerful, yet weak. I believe the spirits of these Pokémon reside in these very paintings some days."

My eyebrow rose I looked over my shoulder and past Steven to see Natsu and Wendy giving me the same look I was giving them. Just who was this guy? Yeah, he was the Champion and all, but still.

"_Perhaps he can feel all three of us. I know the others are here as well, now."_

But I thought you said they were too weak?

"_I know I did."_

Well, you're confusing.

It felt like he rolled his eyes as he continued, "_They originally didn't have the power. But where your friends are standing – near some powerful meteorites – it amplified the power of their… 'connection.'"_

"There! Did you feel it?" Steven exclaimed, startling the others and me.

"F-feel what?"

"The presence! It was so strong just a moment ago…" he said, rubbing his chin in confusion.

"_Hah. He called my presence _strong_."_

Shut it and leave, Kyogre, before this gets any worse!

"_Geez, I'm going, I'm going."_

And just like that, he left.

"Strange. It simply disappeared."

Dang, this guy was perceptive.

"Sorry. Perhaps my friend is rubbing off on me."

I shook my head in understanding, as did everyone else.

"Oh! Did you guys give him the letter?" I asked the small group.

"Letter?" His eyebrow rose as he looked to my friends.

Erza gasped as Jellal quickly pulled out the letter from Mr. Stone.

"Thank you. You came all this way just to deliver this to me?"

"Well, not just that," Wendy finally spoke, "we were also interested in Granite Cave. It just our luck that you were here as well," she said with a smile.

"Oh, good. I would hate to have been the only reason for journeying to this cave."

I did my best to hide my involuntary eye roll.

We began to head back to the entrance of Granite Cave as Steven continued, "Well, did you have any questions about the Legendaries? Most people do. Like, 'where are they?', 'how did they get put in their slumber?', things like that."

"I had a history book," Juvia spoke, "it told about the three legendaries pretty well. Some of the history, at least."

At last we made it to the entrance, just as Steven said, "Well, I hope you enjoy the rest of your journey! I have a feeling we'll be meeting again soon!"

With that, he released a bird type Pokémon, and took to the skies.


	11. Isn't this a bit old?

**Chapter 11: Isn't that a bit old?**

After Steven left, the rest of us decided to settle down for the night, stopping at a nearby motel to sleep. Before everyone headed to their respectful rooms though, we all went out to eat in the small cafe at the edge of the town's civilization. We took up the entire restaurant, filling every chair they had – it was a very small place. There, Natsu, Wendy, and I took advantage of the small tables and sat together, where we could talk about all that had happened.

"So what did Kyogre tell you, Lucy-san?" Wendy whispered.

"That we need to watch out. Every thousand years, people awaken both Kyogre and Groudon simply to have their power under their control. And Kyogre fears that this time… they'll succeed in capturing and controlling the Red and Blue orbs."

They were silent while they processed this information. Then Natsu spoke, "Well then, I guess we're just gonna hafta stop 'em."

"But Natsu-" I began.

"No buts. We gotta do it. Otherwise, what will happen to everybody we care about? The three of us are the only ones who really know what needs to be done, so we gotta be the ones to do something about it."

I blinked rapidly, shocked at his determined expression. When I looked at Wendy, she had pride for her brother shining in her eyes, as I'm sure the same look was in my eyes.

"You're right, Natsu. Like always." I muttered the last part. Whether he heard or not, I'm sure I'll never know.

"Okay everyone," Erza spoke, "it's time to get some sleep. We've got some more traveling to do tomorrow, and we all need our rest."

With this, we all made our way back to the motel, the girls going into one room, while the guys went next door.

Erza was the first to change, completely unaffected by the other girls' presence as she stripped and changed into her Steel-Pokemon pajamas. Juvia was shocked, while I said, "Erza… I think you forgot that Wendy was here..."

"I did no such thing."

"Then why-"

"Okay! Everyone in their pj's! It's time for another girl's only slumber party!"

Erza happily sat on the only bed in the room, waiting on the rest of us to change into our pj's.

"Lucy-san?" Wendy whispered to me.

"Yeah?" I whispered back.

"What is wrong with Erza-san…?"

My eyebrows drew together in confusion, then I looked to see Erza rocking back and forth happily on the bed, a blush bright on her cheeks.

"I-I don't know, Wendy. I really have no idea."

When we all finished getting ready for bed, Erza called us to the bed.

"Okay, a little Truth or Dare time! I'll go first. Wendy, Truth or Dare?"

This caught us off guard, including poor Wendy.

"U-u-um, truth?"

"Okay. How do you feel about your journey so far?"

It seemed Erza was giving Wendy the easy stuff.

"It's amazing!" Wendy said excitedly, "and I'm really happy to say that I'm actually equals with Natsu-san and Lucy-san right now!" she giggled out.

The rest of us laughed as well, happy our little Wendy was happy.

"Okay, Wendy, who do you pick?"

"Lucy-san. Truth or dare?"

"Dare." It couldn't be _that_ bad if Wendy was giving the-

"I dare you to admit your feelings for Natsu-san."

Wait, WHAT?

I began to stutter out strange and random things as I felt my cheeks heat up, "Why- I- but- who- b-b-"

"I think that suffices, don't you think Wendy?" Erza asked as she looked amused.

Wendy shook her head, "Nope. I want her to admit it."

"B-b-but Wendy!"

"Yes, Lucy-san?" she responded, her eyes sparking with coyness.

"Why w-would you ask me to say such a thing?!"

"Because I know, Juvia knows, and Erza knows. Now, you need to know and admit it."

"But, why do I have to admit it…?" I said quietly as my blush grew darker from the embarrassment.

"Wendy, I think she's had enough. Look at her, I doubt she'll be able to sleep tonight now," said Juvia.

"Thank you, Juvia. I mean, d-don't we have to get up early tomorrow anyways?" I asked, trying to keep my stuttering under control and failing.

"Eh," was Erza's response.

I collapsed on the bed, groaning. These girls were gonna be the end of me, I swear…

Suddenly exhausted, I rolled out my sleeping bag.

"What are you doing, Lucy?" Erza asked.

"I'm tired. I'm going to sleep."

I released my Pokemon, snuggling with Swablu, while Kirlia and Metang lay on either side of me in a protective fashion.

Quick enough, I fell asleep.

* * *

_Natsu's POV_

I couldn't believe what I was hearing, and neither could the guys for that matter. Man those girls were _loud_, though I get the feeling Wendy did it on purpose.

"_Okay, Wendy, who do you pick?"_

"_Lucy-san. Truth or dare?"_

"_Dare." _

"_I dare you to admit your feelings for Natsu-san."_

I fell off my chair when I heard that – thank Arceus for carpet padding. The guys laughed at me as I gave them the finger and climbed back in the chair. We all continued listening though and waited for some kind of answer from Lucy, though she managed to get out of it claiming to be tired.

_Tired my ass._

But then I heard the distinctive sound of Pokemon being released from their Pokeball, and the familiar trill of Lucy's Swablu and the calls of her Kirlia and Metang.

_Maybe she really is tired…_

Ah well… thanks to stupid rules, I know I'm not going to be able to sleep tonight… just great…

I stripped to only my boxers as the guys did the rest and pulled out our sleeping bags.

Soon though, I got too hot laying underneath the makeshift cover and threw it off. I couldn't sleep, so I got dressed and headed outside. It was a little chilly, but really, it was fall on an island in the ocean. Of course its gonna be chilly, though I didn't feel much of it.

As I turned around from semi-quietly closing the door – mostly for my sake from Erza's wrath than for the guys – I noticed someone standing outside as well.

"Lucy?"

* * *

_Lucy's POV_

"Lucy?"

I turned around from where I sat on the ground to find Natsu just leaving his room.

"H-hey, Natsu."

"Whatcha doin' out here?" he asked as he sat beside me.

"I couldn't sleep."

"Oh. But you said-SEEMED tired when you and the girls went in your rooms!" he said, sweating bullets for some reason.

"Maybe, but I'm not really," I responded, not giving his strange statement another thought.

"Oh."

We stayed silent for a bit. But then the wind blew off the ocean and didn't cease. It wasn't strong or anything, but man was it cold. Even though I had my blanket wrapped around me, I was still freezing, but I felt warmth from where Natsu was sitting.

Subtly, I scooted closer to him, hoping he wouldn't notice. But he did.

"You okay?"

"N-not r-really," I pulled the blanket tighter around me as if to confirm my statement.

"Cold?"

"W-was I o-obvious?"

"Well, when you put together your shivering and teeth chattering, I kinda figured you weren't doing it because you felt like it."

I gave a small laugh as a response, hoping he would take the hint. He didn't not immediately, at least. It took him a few minutes - at least what felt like a few minutes, it could've just been seconds for all I knew. Natsu finally scooted closer to me and wrapped his arm around my shoulders. Heat, warmth, and comfort immediately greeted me, and I sighed in relief. I'm not entirely certain when I leaned against him, but I eventually found myself falling asleep against his shoulder, no longer feeling the cold wind from the ocean.

_**xxXXxx**_

* * *

I am so so so so so so so so SO SORRY! I can't even... I feel so horrible for the incredibly late update... you guys must hate me for this! And I know this sounds like a bunch of excuses but: Microsoft Word decided that for my finals week, it would be the best time to deactivate my account. I had 4 papers to write, and I couldn't use my computer for any of it - nor could I write any of my stories! Then my laptop up and decided to update without my permission and now it barely loads any of my work! But I think I got it all sorted out now. I got a free writing program that was pretty well recommended, and it seems to be working! So yay for that! So now, I do hope to update again before the new year, but absolutely no promises, because my hours at work have picked up again cuz of the holidays. And I apologize yet again for not posting on Christmas like I planned. My family surprised us by showing up, and then we exchanged gifts and then we watched movies... yeah...

And I'm sorry for the small chapter too!

I hope you all had (or have) a Merry Christmas, or anything else you celebrate!


	12. Its on like Donkey Kong! Wait wrong game

So, I'm adding something for Gym Battle chapters. Since I'm the one who wrote it and _I'm_ having trouble distinguishing these two things, here's what we'll do:

When Lucy commands her Pokémon telepathically, from now on I'll put a '*' at the beginning and end of the line.

Otherwise, it'll just be description of what's happening, and I'll just leave that be.

Hope you laugh at the title, I sure did!

...does that make me weird...?

* * *

_**Oh, it's on like Donkey Kong! Wait, wrong game…**_

That morning, I woke up in my sleeping bag, the night before foggy in my memory. I think I remember Natsu putting me back in my room. Maybe one of my Pokémon did it? I'm not entirely certain – either way, I woke up feeling refreshed and ready for what lied ahead.

My next gym badge.

The girls were also waking up, slowly but surely. After we finished getting ready for the day, we packed up our stuff, planning to leave as soon as we were done with our battles and training.

"Thankfully, I've already gotten this badge," Erza bragged.

"What?" I said, shocked.

"As have I," Jellal said as he and the other guys came up behind us.

"And when were you going to tell all of us this?" Gray asked.

Jellal shrugged while Erza crossed her arms and said, "We just did, didn't we?"

Natsu scratched the back of his head while Gray sighed, the rest of us girls sweat-dropping.

"So, while you are all getting your badges, Jellal and I will be training for our next badge," Erza said as the two walked to the edge of the town, where the cave and small forest lay.

"I'm nervous..." Juvia admitted after the two left.

"Me too," said Wendy and I at the same time.

"Don't be! Besides, you guys have some time before you go against him," said Gray.

"And why's that, Ice-freak?"

"Because I'm going first, Flame-head," Gray responded to Natsu, turning to run towards the gym as he said so.

"Like hell you are! I'm going first!" Natsu called out, running after him.

Soon, the three of us girls were left in nothing but dust and sand, the boys a cloud of dirt headed for the gym.

"Well… should we watch their battle or train for our own?" Wendy asked.

"I think I'm going to train. I don't feel ready for this battle yet," Juvia replied.

"Me too," said Wendy.

"I'm gonna watch. I just want to figure some stuff out first is all," I said as I followed the now settling dust cloud.

"Okay, Lucy-san. Good luck with your battle, in case I miss it!"

"You too, Wendy! Same to you, Juvia!"

"And with you, Lucy! Good luck!"

As we all went our different ways, I started to run for the gym building. But what I saw surprised me. They were having the battle _outside_. It wasn't unheard of to have a battle outside, of course. But a gym battle was typically the only one held inside a building.

"You ready, son?" said a man – who I assume is the Gym Leader.

"Hell, yeah, Brawly," Gray said confidently.

The man – Brawly – looked ready for a fight for sure, Pokémon or otherwise. With his black and orange fighting gloves and pale blue hair pulled back from his face with his sunglasses, along with the skin tight black and orange shirt and light blue pants he wore, he looked like a boxer in training.

Gray threw out a Pokemon, his Electrike, while Brawly released his Machop.

Then the referree said, "Battle… Begin!"

"Electrike, use Spark!"

"Machop, Bulk Up!"

The Machop seemed to take a deep breath, a shimmering light barely visible surrounding the Pokemon, along with a few of its muscles protruding a bit more.

Electrike's move had charged up, and so with its electricity, charged head on at the Machop. However, the move didn't do much damage.

"Now, Machop, use Karate Chop, and follow up with Low Sweep!"

With the attacking combo, Electrike didn't last long. And with the rest of Gray's Pokemon being Ice types… Gray didn't last long either.

"You've gotta be kidding me..." Gray said as he hurried to the Pokemon Center with his injured Pokemon.

"Did I go too hard?" Brawly asked, scratching the back of his head sheepishly.

"Yo, I'm next!" I head Natsu call out.

"Oh, another challenger! Alright, give me just a second."

I took this moment to find a good hiding place with a vantage point. Why the hiding place? So I could release Metang.

After he was released he said, _"You called?"_

*Yes. We need to figure out a battle strategy. If Gray lost, that means this guy is strong. And if Natsu loses, then he's definitely strong. So, we need a plan of attack with this guy.*

Metang thought for a moment.

"_I see. But why ask for my help?"_

*...Because you're the equivalent to a super-computer…?*

"… _Right… yes, let's just watch the battle, shall we?"_

*And you know… this is going to be without you, right?*

"_Sorry?"_

*It was never my intention to bring you out for the first battle, but I had to because of the Nosepass. I just don't want to bring any unwanted attention to you, okay?*

"_Of course."_

*I really am sorry, Metang. I know you could take this guy's Pokémon out if you gave it half a shot, but-*

"_I do understand, Lucy. All of us have discussed it. It's in yours and my own best interest if I'm not revealed very often."_

*Wait, you guys discussed it?*

"_Yes. And now if you'll look, Natsu has just lost to Brawly."_

*What? He lost?!*

I turned my eyes back to the battle that had just concluded in front of me. And sure enough, Brawly's Pokemon was still standing proud. It was a different one this time, though. Either he changed the Pokemon, or Natsu was able to defeat the Machop and this new one – a Makuhita – was his second one.

"_Natsu was indeed able to take out Brawly's Machop. And I have a plan."_

* * *

_Outsider POV_

"I've never gotten so many challengers in one day!" Brawly exclaimed as he stretched, "its so nice to see so many young faces!"

"E-excuse me?"

"Hm?" Brawly said as he turned around to find a young blonde girl, probably not much younger than the two boys he just sent to the Center.

"I-I'd like to b-battle you, sir, if I may..."

The young girl was most certainly shy. He hadn't been called _sir_ in quite some time.

"Of course!"

"I've always wanted to try something..."

"Hm? And what's that?"

"C-can we try it as a double b-battle? I-I have two Pokemon..."

Brawly considered this. He'd done a double battle gym battle before, but that was when the challengers were twins. That battle ended quickly. And he was the victor. But there was something about this girl. Something that wasn't so innocent. She seemed to be a pretty capable trainer, actually.

"Sure. I don't see why not."

The young blonde smiled, then took her place at the other side of the field. She then threw out two Pokeballs, Brawly doing the same.

* * *

_Lucy's POV_

I can't believe it worked! Okay, Kirlia, let's do this thing.

"_Oh yes."_

Kirlia then opened a channel between the three of us; me, her, and Swablu.

*Okay guys, when the battle begins, I want you, Swablu to use Sing. Kirlia, use Confusion on Makuhita. We need to take out his strongest first.*

They grunted their agreement to the plan just as the referree got into position.

"Battle… Begin!"

"Machop, Makuhita, use-"

"_**Swa!"**_

Swablu flew high, then unleashed her Sing. Kirlia followed up by using Confusion.

Sing was able to put Machop to sleep - somehow Makuhita dodged but in doing so, Kirlia's Confusion hit him, yet not doing _quite_ enough damage.

With Machop now asleep on the ground, Brawly began commanding Makuhita.

Well, doesn't he adjust quickly.

"Makuhita, Bulk Up, then use Arm Thrust on Swablu!"

*Swablu, dodge his attack, and then use Sing when he's real close. Kirlia, start using Disarming Voice. Same to you, Swablu.*

"_**Ma!" **_The Pokémon used both moves, Swablu narrowly dodging the attack, then using Sing, just as I commanded. Both my Pokémon followed up with their Disarming Voice, hitting both of the passed out opposing Pokémon.

When the two attacks finished, his Machop woke up, the Makuhita having fainted from the continuous close-by attacks.

"Alright, Machop, Seismic Toss on Swablu, then use Low Sweep on Kirlia!" he said while returning Makuhita to it's Pokeball.

"_**Machop!"**_

Machop's Seismic Toss hit Swablu and hit her hard, however, Kirlia was able to use the closeness of Machop to our advantage, and after commanding her to use Confusion one last time, Machop was defeated.

"We did it!" I shouted happily, pulling Kirlia and Swablu – gently, since Swablu was hurt – into a hug.

"_Yes, we did!" _Kirlia said happily, Swablu chirping her agreement.

"Congrats, kid," Brawly said once he withdrew his Machop, "That's some bond you've got with your Pokémon. Haven't seen battling like that in some time."

"Thanks! Its because of them we were able to win today."

He continued as though I hadn't said anything, "And on top of that, you didn't say a word, yet your Pokémon did everything you wanted them to do. Was that due to your Kirlia, here? Did she read your mind and relay the information to your Swablu?"

"Not quite-"

"Or do you have the same type of bond with your Swablu, and so that wasn't necessary? It seemed the decisions you made were made in split-seconds so-"

"Sir?"

"Hm? Oh. I'm rambling, aren't I? Apologies. Battles are something of an interest of mine."

"I could tell. You beat my friends easy enough."

"They were your friends?"

"Mhmm. The ones with the Electrike and Trapinch."

"Ah. Maybe tell them to broaden the Pokémon they capture and battle with, hm? Also that I look forward to a rematch. From all three of you."

"Sure thing. Can I have that badge now…?" I asked hesitantly. It's not like I wanted to be rude or anything, but I wanted to go and see everyone. Maybe show them my new badge…

"Oh! Of course, I'm sorry. Again," he said as he handed the small piece of metal to me.

I happily put it in my Trainer Case and said my goodbyes, heading for the Pokémon Center.

When I got there, I was surprised to see it empty. It takes awhile to heal a fully defeated Pokémon, so where was everyone?

There was a nurse behind the counter, so I went up to her and asked, "Excuse me, ma'am, has anyone come in with an Electrike or Trapinch?"

"Hm?" the woman said as she turned around, "No, I'm sorry. I haven't treated an Electrike today, but a man with a Trapinch was in here just a few minutes ago."

"Did you see where he went?"

"No, I'm sorry. His Pokémon is still back here, though. They're back to health, but I have yet to see their Trainer."

"Oh. Okay. Thank you."

The nurse smiled and nodded, then went back to what she was doing.

So, if they weren't at the Pokémon Center, where were they?

I went to the motel, and no one was there either.

Where was everybody? Was everyone out training?

I tried to call Natsu, but it went to voicemail. Same with Wendy, Juvia, and Erza.

So, I went to where Mr. Briney was supposed to be waiting for us.

But the boat was gone.

Did I get _ditched_?

I released Kirlia, confused beyond anything I'd ever felt before.

*Kirlia, where is everyone?*

She was quiet for a few moments, then said, _"They're not in Dewford – or on the island. They're on the boat. Headed for Slateport City."_

"Wait, so I _did_ get ditched?!" I said out loud.

Kirlia hesitantly nodded.

My jaw dropped. I couldn't believe it. There had to be some other explaination, right? But why else would they all be headed for Slateport city, our next stop?

"Hey, Lucy! There you are! I've been looking everywhere for you!" Natsu said as he jogged up to meet me.

"Wait, where's Mr. Briney?" he asked as soon as he noticed to boat was gone.

"That's what I want to know. Kirlia here says everyone else is _on_ the boat."

"What? We got left? Even Wendy?" he asked Kirlia. She shook her head.

"_I'm not certain. I found Jellal, Erza, Gray, and Juvia though, for sure. There are remnants of Wendy's trace on the boat, but I can't seem to find her."_

"Still, that's not like them. At all. Even Ice-princess."

I sighed. He was right. There _had_ to be some other reason why they left.

Then Kirlia jerked.

"_Wendy's still here. I just now found her. She just came out of the cave."_

I began to run then, Natsu and Kirlia on my heels, though Natsu was quickly beginning to pass me.

When we got to the entrance, Wendy was writing something in some journal, and jerked the pen across the page when we shouted her name.

"What?" she asked angrily – well, as angry as Wendy could get. She was a gentle girl, after all.

"You're still here?" I asked as we got closer, trying to catch my breath.

"Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?" she asked, confused.

"The others left. Without telling us. Mr. Briney is gone as well," Natsu told her.

"They did? How are we going to get off this island?"

Then it dawned on me.

"How am I supposed to know?" Natsu said, beginning to go back and forth with his little sister.

"Guys. I think we're forgetting something."

"What?" they asked at the same time.

"We're on an island," I said simply.

"Yeah, we are aware, Luce."

"We're on an island," I tried again, "_surrounded by water._"

Natsu still wasn't getting it, while Wendy's light bulb flickered on.

"Water Pokémon live in the ocean, Natsu! We can catch one, and use them to get to Slateport City!" I said, my patience having run out.

"_Oh!_ Geez, Luce, why didn't you just say so in the first place? Let's go!"

I couldn't help but face-palm.

* * *

**_xxXXxx_**

I hope you guys enjoyed the newest chapter! I'm so sorry for not updating on my 'new schedule'. My muse left me for so long, on top of it, I had to have my computer wiped. My stories were safe, but my writing program wasn't. Of course, just because the stories were safe doesn't mean I didn't have to type them up again. I hand-write my stories, in case something like this happens. I don't really trust my computer much. Or my phone. Or my laptop. Or mother's tablet. Or even my game systems. Too many hackers out there, you know?

But now I'm rambling, so I'll let you guys go now. I hope you have a good day/night!


	13. All You Need is a Little Love

Hey all! So sorry for the long wait on the update!

Also, I've never ever _ever_ been fishing in my life, so please don't hate on me if I get something wrong.

**Chapter 13: All You Need is a Little Love**

After our meeting at the cave, Wendy, Natsu, and I headed for a shop to buy a rod. I was the only one who needed a water-type, while Natsu and Wendy simply needed to train theirs. The route wasn't very long by boat, but by Pokémon? Quite a distance.

Anyways, after I bought the fishing rod, I headed for the ocean, while Natsu and Wendy decided to fight each other to gain experience for their water types. And of course they both needed some extra training to beat Brawly before we left.

So, after the line was in the water, I waited. And waited. And _waited_.

"Good lord, what is taking so long?" I asked after what felt like eternity.

"Jeez, Luce, you're fishing. You gotta be patient and _quiet. _Besides its only been like ten minutes," Natsu said while he and Wendy were taking a quick breather. Well, more like they were giving their Pokémon a breather, but that's beside the point.

I sighed, then faced the water once more. And waited.

But then, just when I was about to give up and just evolve Swablu so she could carry me, there was a tug on the line.

"Natsu! Wendy! The-the line! It-Its tugging! W-what do I do?!"

"Reel it in, Lucy!" said Wendy encouragingly.

The two of them encouraged me and told me to reel, then pull, reel some more, pull some more. I did as they said, and finally, the water-Pokémon came up. It was a Goldeen. But before I could even reach to my Pokéballs, the Goldeen used water gun on me, then the ground to push itself back to the ocean.

Soaked now, I puffed out a breath. I looked at Natsu and Wendy, the two of them barely holding in their laughter.

"Let it out, I know you want to..." I huffed at them, crossing my arms as I attempted to blow some soaked hair out of my face.

With my words, they let their laughter out, Wendy clutching her gut as she laughed hard enough to bring tears to her eyes, Natsu having fallen on the ground clutching his gut as well.

I narrowed my eyes at them, but couldn't help the smile that was brought to my lips as I watched.

I shook my head and tried again.

And again.

And again.

Though nothing had been biting, I was still waiting. Hoping that something would take the bait, and-

The line jerked.

My eyes widened, "I've got another one!" I told them

"Let's hope its not that Goldeen again. It might be less forgiving this time," Natsu said.

I mock-glared at him, and he smiled wide. I turned back to my task at hand. It didn't take nearly as much strength as it did with the Goldeen, and when it came out of the water I saw why.

It was a Magikarp. The _weakest_ Pokémon in the known world.

Ah well. Gotta start somewhere, right? And I'm sure all I can manage to catch with this rod are weak Goldeens and Magikarps anyways.

With that thought, I brought out Kirlia, and told her to use Magical Leaf.

She did so without hesitation, and the Magikarp was taken out quickly.

I threw the empty Pokéball at it, and the Pokémon went inside. The ball wiggled once. Twice. Then gleamed.

Magikarp was caught… where's that 'easy' button I keep hearing people talk about?

* * *

After I had caught Magikarp, the two of us began our training. Magikarp grew at a slower rate than Wendy's Feebas, but he was still growing at least.

Natsu had decided that instead of training Marshtomp to evolve, as it was already on its second evolution, he would just train him to swim long distance. And so Wendy and I battled each other while Natsu and Marshtomp swam together in the ocean.

It wasn't until near sunset on the third day of training that something happened.

Feebas started to evolve.

Within moments, the light faded and sure enough there was a beautiful Milotic in the place of Feebas. Wendy cheered as she swam to her Pokémon. She hugged her Milotic, the creature happily hugging her back.

When Wendy came back to shore after withdrawing the newly evolved Pokémon, I told her, "Congrats, Wendy! I don't think you'll have a problem going up against Brawly – or anyone for that matter."

The bluenette blushed deeply as she responded with, "Th-thank you, Lucy-san! I'm gonna go heal my Pokémon, and do just that!"

After this, she ran off towards the gym – where Natsu was apparently running from. When did he leave?

"Hey, Luce! I got the badge!"

I masked my surprise at his disappearance by saying, "Congratulations, Natsu! Wendy just evolved her Feebas. Now… I just need to work with Magikarp here. Hopefully he'll evolve soon…" I said, looking to the red Pokémon. He was splashing about, not really playing, but more trying to do… something… this Magikarp was a confusing one for sure.

With a sigh, I released Swablu.

I had the two train with each other until Wendy returned a little over a half an hour later with a shiny new gym badge in her trainer case.

Magikarp had yet to evolve.

Am I doing something wrong in training him? Am I leaving something out? Its been three whole days, and the Pokémon had barely gotten any stronger… it didn't help that each time Swablu would try an attack, or even let herself be wide open and let Magikarp attack, he would just swim away from her.

After an hour of watching my Swablu and Magikarp battle it out – if you could even call it that – I summoned Swablu to me and put her back into her Pokéball. Natsu and Wendy had left a while ago to get a bite to eat, promising to bring something back for me, but until then, I jumped into the water where my Magikarp was.

He blinked at me, confused as to what I was doing, mixed with another emotion I couldn't quite place in the darkening sky.

We were in the water about chest-deep, and the sun was setting; the water seeming to rapidly cool in response even though it was mid-August.

As I neared the Pokémon, he almost imperceptibly flinched as I raised my hand. And that's when it dawned on me. I could see the scars he had, being so close to it now. My arm dropped back into the water as my shoulders fell. It clicked then. Why he would run away instead of attacking his opponent, why he seemed afraid of an incoming attack… This Pokémon was once owned by a Trainer. And it had been hurt… physically, emotionally...

My eyebrows drew together as tears formed in my eyes.

"Oh, Magikarp… I'm so, so sorry…" I whispered to him.

"**Magi…?"**

I slowly raised my hand once again, this time keeping it lower and closer to my own body as I steadily reached for him. He didn't flinch this time, simply watching my eyes as I looked at him.

I pet the sleek red scales when my hand came into contact with his body. It felt a little slimy as he was a fish Pokémon, but I continued nonetheless. His eyes widened some. He looked to my hand that was gently placed on his side. Then looked back to me, no longer having fear in his eyes, but appreciation and something else.

But I couldn't think on it too long. Because Magikarp started glowing.

I gasped and took many steps back as fast as I could – I was still in semi-deep water after all.

The sight was spectacular though. The ocean water became apart of the light and energy forming his body as the evolution took place, swirling and lighting up beautifully around him just as the sun hit the horizon, sending the sky and the ocean into a mix of oranges, pinks, purples and blues.

Soon though, the light faded. And where Magikarp once was, Gyarados now proudly stood.

The tears spilled over now as I looked at the freshly evolved Gyarados. Most would think looking into a Gyarados' eyes up close would be really scary. And honestly, I would have to agree. If this Gyarados wasn't becoming my friend, I'd be _very_ afraid, and he just evolved. I can't imagine what another, stronger Gyarados would be like… yeesh.

He looked at me, now looking down instead of up, and I couldn't help the huge smile that appeared on my face.

Without thinking, I reached for Gyarados and wrapped my arms around him. I could feel his muscles tense up, but then he relaxed into the embrace. I sighed in content. His muscles were rock hard and lean, his scales slick with the water - and still a bit slimy, though not as much as before. I could feel how strong he was – and how much stronger he became thanks to his evolution. But before I could linger on my thoughts, Natsu and Wendy appeared, food in their hands as they looked at Gyarados and I.

"Hey guys," I said as I turned my gaze to them, not releasing my hold on Gyarados. He seemed alright with it though.

"Gyarados finally evolved?" Natsu said. More like shouted, but hey. I still heard him the same.

I rolled my eyes at him in response. No duh.

I refused to let go of Gyarados just yet, and so he swam us both to the shore as he was now able to be on land without _too_ much difficulty.

"How did you finally get him to evolve, Lucy-san?" Wendy asked me as I finally released my hold of him.

"We just… talked..." I told them as Gyarados and I looked at each other. If a Gyarados could smile, I could've sworn this one was smiling at me.

"You just… talked…" Natsu said, not really believing me.

It was the truth… mostly…

"_You have a good heart, Lucy Heartfilia. I feel that you and I will do well together."_

I smiled as I looked at the ground.

I do too, Kyogre. I do too.

"_I can see the gratitude in Gyarados' eyes. You've just earned another loyal Pokémon to your team."_

While loyalty is very good, all I'm looking for is-

"_Friends."_

Exactly.

"_I'm sure you'll bond just as quickly with Gyarados as you have with Kirlia, Metang, Swablu, and myself."_

I smiled as Wendy and Natsu began to set up for the night, bringing me back to my senses.

With what they had bought, Wendy and I made some pokéfood from a recipe book they had found in one of the stores, making certain foods for the different Pokémon. It was about two hours into the night before we finished, and our Pokémon were happily – though not very patiently – waiting for us.

Milotic, Marshtomp, and Gyarados ate their food greedily, which was a very large amount for the two freshly evolved Pokémon. They were big, after all.

Then we had a spicy combination for Natsu's Torkoal, and some delectable treats for Grovyle, Trapinch, Poochyena, Kirlia, and Swablu. Metang was unsure of what he wanted, and so we kind of just let him have a bit of everything.

We were happily eating when both Kirlia and Metang perked up. In response, Swablu ruffled up. Gyarados having caught on quickly to his newest team members' movements, stopped eating and looked around.

"_Someone's coming!"_ Kirlia projected to our group. Now all of us were on guard. We heard sounds coming from behind us. Someone was approaching.

We turned around to see Gray, Erza, Juvia, and Jellal walking towards us from the docks.

_**xxXXxx**_

Whew, that took waayyy too long. I'm so sorry for not updating like I said I would.

But now onto answering reviews!

**BetaZackFan:** gosh darnit you beat me to it! But since it seemed obvious I would make it follow the same line of having Mega-evolving Pokémon, I just had to add in the Goldeen bit. I'm not sure if I can add Torchic into Lucy's team, as I have a kind of thing planned with the stolen Torchic, but I'll see what I can do!

**Whatstoknow: **It was good to see your review! I'm glad to see you've been sticking with this story, despite its bumpy updating schedule. … Okay, its a horrible updating schedule, but thanks for sticking with it anyways!

I hope everyone enjoyed! I'm sorry if I messed up anywhere, I wrote, read, rewrote, reread, rewrote some more... the cycle's been repeating for quite some time now. And what did everyone think about the whole thing with Magikarp? I wasn't sure how believable it was, but I did my best! Anyways, leave a wonderful review for me please! Have a good day/night!

-FairyTailFanGirlie


	14. Who are you?

**Chapter 14 - Who are you?**

Our friends disappeared almost as soon as they appeared, vanishing into the wind.

"What the hell...?" asked Natsu.

"_Your friends, they have left you,"_ said a voice.

"W-who's there?" asked Wendy who was standing by her Pokemon, everyone trying to protect the other.

The voice ignored Wendy's question and said,_ "Lucy Heartfilia - you escaped my curse. Something that shouldn't have been possible. So should you keep on your path of trying to revive the ancient Pokemon, you will feel my wrath."_

With this, the voice vanished as quickly as it came.

I blinked, unsure of what had just happened.

Looking to Metang, I asked him and Kirlia to scan the area for anything that could've done this, but they came up with nothing. Whoever or whatever it was that did this was either too far away or too good at covering their tracks to be found.

_"You need to keep moving, Lucy. Otherwise he'll succeed at whatever he's planning that involves us ancient Pokemon."_

I nodded, my Pokemon reading my mind, and so they finished their meals quickly.

"Luce? What are you doing?" Natsu asked as he saw me and my Pokemon hurriedly moving about.

"Kygore says we need to get moving, and I agree. Whoever took our friends is obviously a powerful Trainer."

"So? We can-"

"No, we can't Natsu," I said, not even looking up at him as I continued packing, "The three of us alone can't stop him. Not even with our Pokemon's help are we going to be able to take him on and succeed. We simply aren't strong enough. We have to train."

I finally looked up at the both of them, only just now noticing neither had made a single movement.

Do they not believe me or something?

Gyarados was the first to finish his meal, making his way across the beach to be next to me. Swablu and Kirlia finished next, and finally Metang levitated next to me.

Natsu and Wendy had yet to move.

I couldn't help but look back and forth between the two. And then finally Wendy broke the silence.

"So someone's actually targeting you, Lucy? And you're willing to continue your journey?" she asked, disbelief coating her words.

"Of course. I have a duty. Not only to Professor Birch, or even to Kyogre. But to myself. Levy-chan. My Pokemon. To be the best I can be. I'm not going to stop just because someone threatened us. It's not the worst thing a Heartfilia has ever had to deal with," I said, whispering the last part.

My Pokemon growled and hummed, all giving thier own unique noise as a sign of agreement.

Natsu and Wendy only looked at me, something that looked oddly like astonishment and appreciation if I'm not mistaken.

Then they both nodded, and we packed all our things in record time.

Withdrawing all except our water-types, we headed for the shore to make our long trek to Slateport City.

* * *

After what felt like forever, but in reality was probably only a couple of hours, we happened upon the shore of Slateport City.

Our now exhausted water-types happily went into their respective balls.

"Okay, so what next?" Natsu asked as we all caught our breath.

"Aren't we supposed to give some package or something to somebody here?" I asked.

"Yeah, at the shipyard, but -"

"Great, let's get going," I said, headed for the city in front of us.

"Lucy-san, don't you think we should rest the Pokemon first?" Wendy asked me just after I had taken my first step.

"Heh, yeah, I guess you're right - we did tire them out, huh? Alright, so where's the Pokemon Center in this huge city?" I said after I'd turned back around to face them.

"It should be in the city center, since that's where almost everything Trainer related is - not to mention that's how they tried to design it when they built all the Pokemon Centers," Wendy replied.

"Okay, great! Let's go!"

We rushed to the center of the city, hoping to find the Pokemon Center, and thankfully Wendy's guess was correct - the Pokemon Center was in the middle of the city. We were out with fully healed Pokemon in less than an hour, and headed for the shipyard. Inside was a man, but not who we were supposed to give the package to. He told us we'd find the man - Captain Stern - at the Oceanic Museum just down the block.

After thanking him, we headed for the museum. We found him on the second floor, admiring one of the displays.

"Captain Stern?" Wendy said, getting the man's attention.

"Hm? Who are you?"

"My name's Wendy, this is my friend, Lucy, and my brother Natsu. The President of the Devon Corporation asked us to deliver a package to you."

"Ah! Yes, I've been waiting for this," Stern said excitedly, but as he reached for the package, Natsu heard something from behind us.

"Show yourselves!" He said as he turned around - facing the four Aqua and Magma grunts who had just appeared by the two staircases - 2 Aqua's on one side, and 2 Magma's on the other.

Wendy and I protected the Captain from Team Aqua, while Natsu protected him from Team Magma.

...Honestly? The battle isn't even worth mentioning - for the three of us, it was one-hit knock-outs on the two Teams' Pokémon. They didn't stand a chance.

They then disappeared, and we gave Stern the package he'd been waiting for.

"Well... now what?" Wendy asked as we made our way out of the museum.

"Mauville is the next city with a gym!" Natsu said grinning and excitedly - I think he was just happy to continue his journey beyond the second gym badge.

"Then let's go - we've still got quite the journey ahead of us!" I said just as enthusiastic as Natsu.

As we were just about to leave the city though, we got swept up in a crowd that was headed a different direction - apparently the Contest Hall.

"Lisia!"

"Lisia, scout me!"

"Look, Lisia, I've been practicing!"

"Scout me to be your next boyfriend, Lisia!"

At that one, the three of us stared at the man who shouted it.

"Um..." Wendy began.

"...Ok...?" I blinked.

Natsu scratched the back of his head.

Then we finally saw who it was everyone was screaming about. A young woman, with turquoise hair, wearing a cute light blue fluffy dress, that looked a lot like the Pokémon floating next to her.

Natsu leaned over to whisper in my ear, "That's what your Swablu evolves into, by the way - Altaria."

"I was wondering why it looked familiar," I giggled.

Lisia eventually chose the little girl who'd twirled in front of her to scout, and so the three of us continued on our way to Mauville City.

After putting Slateport City behind us, Natsu quickly pulled Wendy and I into the bushes, and told us to be quiet before we could get a word in edgewise.

A few moments passed, and what appeared? Team Magma, a whole group of them - at least 6 or maybe even 7 of them and they stopped almost right in front of us.

I thought we were done for, until I realized none of them were actually looking for, or at us. They were discussing something amongst themselves, something about Mt. Chimney, and taking over the world. You know, normal evil-henchmen speak.

After they had passed, we stayed hidden a little longer, then made our way back into the open.

"That was close Natsu-nii," Wendy said, wiping her forehead with her sleeve.

I nodded "Yeah, how'd you-"

"Know? Sensitive hearing."

I blinked at him. Once. Twice.

"Natsu-nii gets that a lot," Wendy giggled.

"But wait, they said something about Mt. Chimney?"

"Oh shit - we better get going!" said Natsu as he started running after the Magma grunts.

"Natsu-nii, wait for us!" yelled Wendy as she started running after him.

"Yeah, Natsu, come on, slow down!" I huffed out as I ran behind Wendy.

Ah well. What can you do when Natsu is leading the way other than follow behind him right?

**_xxXXxx_**

I'm almost literally crying right now for this horrible thing I've done - I haven't updated in forEVER, pretty much a full year - and I have no excuses this time. None. Whatsoever. Just couldn't write. And I still feel like this came out wrong. But you know what, its time to get back on this saddle, and finally write some chapters so I can finish these stories and move onto the new ones that have been piling into my head.

But now onto (finally) answering some reviews!

Karategeo: Yes, she does need to have a great friendship with her Pokemon, something I plan on keeping the same in the story for sure. Lucy won't be Mega-evolving for awhile.

Amandineylan: I'm glad you love it, I hope this chapter was good for you, though I know its really a lot of filler.

CrystalSummerCat: The Champion bit you'll just have to wait and see. I know for sure what will happen, but I'm nervous to see what you guys will think of it. As for Latios and Latias, they will receive them, yes. But who will get them, that will be the 'surprise'! ;P


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